Good Girl Gone Bad
by Jeralee
Summary: Based on Reboot/DmC Ninja Theory. Pre-DmC. It's true when they say opposites attract. She was a good girl before she met him, and she should've known better and avoided him when he transferred to her orphanage. Too bad he couldn't get enough of her. DmC Dante x OC
1. Best Worst Impression Ever

Hi everyone, this is my second DMC fic, although this one is based off the reboot by Ninja Theory and not Classic DMC Dante. I originally had mixed reactions to New Dante when the first pictures were leaked, then he gradually grew on me.

This story will initially serve perhaps as a speculative prequel to DmC and begins with Dante as a teenager who moves into a new orphanage after being transferred from various institutions one after another. He will actually be more rebellious than he comes across in the game. I actually find DmC Dante less cocky and flippant than Classic Dante than they make him appear, and he is more caring judging from his interactions with Kat. Sure, he seems to swear a lot and his actions are bolder, but I think DmC Dante is more watered down than Classic Dante and he is less aloof and laidback. I'm not quite sure what else will come from this but I hope you all like it anyway.

Disclaimer: Don't own DmC

Rated M for Dante's colorful language. Some OOC I guess because it is a prequel.

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

_Best Worst Impression Ever_

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His name was Dante and he would be staying in St Christoph's Orphanage as of today.

Trixie was late on the day of his anticipated arrival; she had slept in and no-one had bothered to wake her up; she got dressed in her usual attire as quickly as she could, brushed her teeth, washed her face and combed her hair, then trampled down the stairs and into the lounge where the others were pressing their faces against the window. Trixie joined the fray, eager to see the new kid, and she hopped up and down on the spot, trying to get a good glimpse but to no avail. She pouted with a huff and crossed her arms, "Ohhh, what's going on? I can't see anything."

A girl at the far side of the window near the fireplace quickly ushered her with a wave of her hand; she had managed to hog a space, "Over here, Trixie."

"Thanks, Becky." Trixie hurried over immediately and squeezed herself in. Outside, a car was approaching the driveway; it was a police car which had everyone 'oooh'-ing and 'aahh'-ing since there had not been one kid who was brought into the facility who had ever been escorted by police. Meanwhile, Father Tam, the pastor in charge of the orphanage, was waiting patiently outside.

"Oh man, this is so exciting." said one of the boys, "I heard he's only sixteen years old and he already has over a hundred criminal convictions!"

"What!?" exclaimed one of the girls, "A hundred?! Who is this guy?"

"His name was Dante, right?"

"What a badass name."

The car doors opened and everyone went quiet; a policeman stepped out along with a social worker. Trixie watched as a tall, dark-haired teenage boy was led out by the arm out of the backseat although he pulled his arm away immediately, sidling up to Father Tam who smiled at him. The teenager did not smile back; instead, he turned away disinterestedly and shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn out pants, glaring to the side. The teenage boy was very disheveled in appearance from head to toe. He was dressed in a loose, ripped black t-shirt and combat pants with a strange red pendant around his neck; he was fair-skinned, the sides of his head were shaved leaving only a black tuft of hair at the top of his head which flopped delicately over his light blue eyes. His lips were thin, contorted into a brooding frown, and he had a soft but chiseled jaw.

"What a hottie!" squealed Becky, whilst Trixie watched uncomfortably.

Another cooed out, "Dude, he's totally badass. Just look at dem muscles."

However, Trixie ignored the background commentary as Father Tam conversed with the social worker and policeman before speaking to the boy named Dante. Father Tam was gesturing and introducing himself cheerfully and politely, as he always did to any new kid but the youth was indifferent, he was certainly bored since he proceeded to let out a yawn. After a few more conversations with the policeman and social worker, they returned to the car and drove off after exchanging last words with the teenager. Father Tam proceeded to guide the teenager into the orphanage.

"Ohhhh, he's coming inside!" cooed another girl, and almost immediately, everyone left the window and began fighting to leave the lounge, trying to squeeze themselves through the tiny doorway.

"Come on, Trixie! Let's go too!" Becky exclaimed, grabbing at the girl's arm.

"Huh? Uh...okay..." came Trixie's weak response as Becky dragged her out of the lounge and into the hall to join the others. She had a bad feeling about this 'Dante'. No teenager like that had ever been introduced to their orphanage. She wondered if he would be a handful...

The doors opened and in came Father Tam with the young man named Dante at his side. Everyone stood at each side of the hall and stared in awe as they passed. Father Tam was a chubby man with a gentle face who was liked by all the orphans because of his kindness; he smiled at them all and said, "Everyone, this is Dante. He'll be staying with us as of today." No-one dared to speak, and Father Tam let out a light chuckle, "Come on, no need to be shy. Usually you guys are energetic when we have a new kid."

Everyone glanced at each other awkwardly and finally, one of the boys squeaked out a greeting. "Um...H-Hi."

"Hello."

"N-nice to meet you."

"Welcome..."

Trixie remained quiet. Father Tam turned to Dante expectantly; Dante glanced up at the older man (who nodded encouragingly at him), before averting his gaze at the rest of the orphans who he would be staying with from now on. His mouth moved and - "Stay the fuck away from me and nobody gets hurt."

There were gasps of horror, some giggles, and also, some wide-eyed, mouth agape expressions. Trixie was a mixture of all the above except a hoarse, rasping choke emitted from the back of her throat. Never had her ears had the unpleasant honor of hearing such filthy words.

"Dante!" Father Tam exclaimed in shock, "W-we do not tolerate such language here..."

But Dante merely glowered at the man, "Where's my room?"

Whilst the girls began to giggle and whisper to each other excitedly, the boys gave each other awkward looks. Trixie and Becky exchanged bemused, albeit worried glances from the corner of their eyes, and Father Tam desperately attempted to alleviate the inept atmosphere. "Dante, we'll need to talk to you about that. Your living arrangements are still to be arranged. Step into my office for a quick chat – "

He had paused because Dante had left his side and had begun sauntering further into the hall; all the orphans parted for him like the Red Sea. Trixie stared with broadened eyes at the clear display of defiance; Dante was making his way down the hall with a swagger she had not quite seen in the other kids before, and she continued to gawp at him as he stormed up the stairs, his boots thudding with each step. The crowd went wild by his antics; everyone eagerly followed him up the stairs. And Father Tam was left shouting from the hall. "Dante? Dante! Where do you think you are going?! Dante! Get back here right now, young man!"

In response, Dante flashed him the middle finger.

The orphans followed Dante all the way up to the dormitories, watching him stop and kick open each closed door to reveal a respective bedroom inside. He kicked open one, looked inside briefly, then moved onto the next. "Dante, wait!" said one of the boys, frantically stepping in front of a door Dante was about to kick open, "Um...may I call you Dante?"

"Outta my way," Dante said, and the boy's knees began quaking as Dante subjected him to a cold, piercing glare.

"P-please, Dante," he squeaked out, "...We all want to get along, right? Please listen to Father Tam. He will assign you a room..."

Shoving the boy to the side who went 'kyaah!' as he went tumbling, Dante proceeded to kick open the door and again, glimpsed quickly. Seemingly displeased with the room, he moved to the next. Trixie, who had been a spectator to this strange scene the entire time, hopped over the boy who had been pushed to the ground and with an outstretched arm, her hand unceremoniously landed on Dante's t-shirt sleeve and her fingers touched cool, hard muscle, which surprised her a great deal. He whipped round immediately, eyes narrowing. He studied her face for a while and she gasped, having realized what she had done and quickly let go.

There was a brief silence until Trixie spluttered out, "S-stop!" She protested meekly, holding her hand to herself, "That's my room-"

Too late. Dante opened it, again with one hefty kick and stared at Trixie's room. Her room was the cleanest, with a window that overlooked the garden outside. Dante glanced at her desk, her drawer, then at the folded duvet where Trixie ultimately remembered that she forgot to put her underwear away. Flushing, she rushed in and proceeded to shove the garments under the covers.

Glancing up at Dante, she saw that he was smirking visibly, having seen something that he liked. "...I'll take this room if you don't mind."

"What?!" Trixie choked out.

Oh yes, Dante certainly was trouble.

Trixie immediately left the room and to the hall only to see Father Tam attending to the poor boy who Dante had shoved earlier on. Trixie's expression said it all. With a sigh, Father Tam left the boy's side and over to Trixie. She hurriedly explained what had happened and Tam let out another sigh before entering the room. Dante was sprawled over Trixie's bed as she had said. Tam stood by the bedside as the youth lay on the bed leisurely with his arms folded behind his head, eyes closed. He still had his mucky boots on, coating the clean sheets in dry mud and grit. Trixie watched on miserably from the doorway whilst Becky clung onto her arm.

"Dante, this room belongs to Beatrice. We've already assigned you a room; it's down the corner of this floor. I assure you, you will like it very much." Father Tam said gently, but he was met with silence. "Dante?"

"I like this one."

"Dante, I – "

"I said I like this room; get it through your fucking pea-sized brain."

The older man let out a sigh and turned to Trixie who glanced up at him hopefully. "Father Tam?" She said meekly.

"...Beatrice, will you take Dante's room instead?"

"What!?" She exclaimed, "But my room..."

"You can move your belongings. I'm sorry, but this is the easiest way to solve this."

Trixie opened her mouth in protest, but a tug on her arm courtesy of her friend Becky made her stop and rethink. She wondered if Father Tam was afraid of the new guy. She wasn't sure but regardless, she could not argue her case. With a clenched fist, Trixie nodded reluctantly. Turning away, she ran down the hall, footsteps thudding loudly over the boards.

Father Tam shook his head as Becky followed after her. "Trixie! Wait for me!" She wailed, and Father Tam turned to Dante who had now opened his eyes, glancing at the pastor.

"...What?" Dante snapped; he didn't sound as annoyed or irritated as he should've been.

Father Tam had heard a great deal about Dante. He heard the teen was difficult to deal with hence the reason he had been transferred so many times from foster home, institution, youth correction facilities...now he had been passed here and in a couple of months, he would be moving on again... Dante was anti-social, had severe behavioral problems, he had an aggressive streak, a foul temper and mouth, and overall, a destructive personality. Dante really seemed to fit the description Tam had been given when he first went through the paperwork.

"At St Christoph's Orphanage, we do not believe in punishment." Tam said quietly, as he moved to the doorway, "We treat everyone fairly and equally. At the moment, you have made Beatrice very upset. I hope you reflect on your actions and think about how your deeds impact on others. As this is your first day here, Dante, you are excused for your behavior. However, from now on, I expect you to respect the others and treat them the way you would like to be treated yourself. During your time here, I hope you can set a good example to the younger children; I will have some tasks for you to do around the orphanage. I have also enrolled you into the local public school and also a part-time job during the weekend. It is all part of your rehabilitation and integration into society."

There was silence from Dante's end. Father Tam emitted a loud sigh and closed the door behind him, leaving Dante's new room. He wondered how he would deal with Dante from now on. He certainly was a handful and he believed he would serve to be bad influence on the other kids. There was no way he would be able to separate him from the kids, either. He had spent so long raising the children to be pure, polite and gentle-natured young adults. Dante practically arrived and painted all over the picture. Tam continued pondering what to do, hands behind his back as he walked, contemplating.

...

_Try to get along with him, Father Tam said, Make him feel at home. _Trixie thought bitterly to herself as she folded her shirt and plopped it into the box. A few hours had passed since Dante arrived and already he'd created a bad impression of himself - not that he really cared, she assumed. She didn't even want to be here; it was apparent Dante and her and the rest of the orphans were completely different species. Here she was in her room, preparing to move out. She'd already gone through her cupboards and packed her stationary and books into a separate box... Now she had to get her clothes and the rest of her belongings whilst the new guy Dante lay on her bed, getting her sheets and duvet dirty with his disgusting tatty t-shirt and his muddy boots which he was keen not to take off.

"So...your name's Dante?" She tried, in an effort to break the monotony.

There was a silence; it appeared Dante had no intention to uphold the dry conversation Trixie was attempting to make.

"Where did you stay before you came here?"

Again, she was met with silence.

"Where are you from?"

Once more, Dante said nothing.

She wasn't surprised at all, but then Dante suddenly shifted on her bed and she saw him portrude out a box of cigarettes and a lighter from his pockets. She watched him warily as he lit the end with a flick of his calloused fingers, the tiny flame igniting before he leaned backwards and puffed some smoke into the air. "You're not allowed to smoke." Trixie pointed out coldly.

Dante merely took another deep drag and finally turned to her direction; she froze when their eyes met – his eyes were a strange light shade of soft blue despite his striking features – and he deliberately blew out a thick whiff of acrid smoke towards her direction.

Trixie covered her nose and mouth with one hand and coughed, "I said, you're not allowed to smoke." She said, her voice muffled behind her palm.

"Says who?" came Dante's meager response as he returned to lying comfortably on her bed. Finally, he'd spoken in a span of thirty minutes. She didn't think he would reply, honestly.

"Father Tam."

"Father Tam can go fuck himself."

"It's against the rules."

"Fuck the rules."

Trixie winced under his alarming profanity. "Don't talk like that." She fumbled awkwardly on her chair. "It's rude and foul - "

Rude? Foul? What kind of Lala Land did she live in? Needless to say he didn't think he'd come across someone as naive as this girl here. Just what kind of orphans did Father Tam raise here? Dante immediately sat up in bed, facing her, the cigarette was still wedged between his lips, balancing between his teeth, "Fuck fuck fuck, shit, ass, bitch, bastard, tits, dick." He chanted bemusedly, and her expression contorted uncomfortably in response.

Trixie squeaked, dropping the shirt she had been holding that it flopped into the box. Standing up from her chair, she clamped her hands over her ears and Dante rose, making his way menacingly towards her. She inched away from him as he neared; for his age, he was tall, towering over her that when her back hit the wall, Dante's shadow completely encased her.

With a wicked grin on his face, Trixie's heart suddenly began beating harder as he peered down at her inquisitively, "Did I miss anything else?" His voice was a low and gravelly, husky murmur that made her face grow hot.

"Stop it!" She howled.

The vulgarity continued from Dante's end. "ASSHOLE! FUCKWIT! FUCKTARD! CUNT! COCK! MOTHERF - "

"ARRRGGHHHH! STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!" She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to blot out the onslaught of unclean vocabulary to grace her ears. Shoving him away with as much strength as she could, Trixie let out a strangled scream and bumbled out of her room with Dante's laughter following her out.

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Haha, there goes chapter 1. I was thinking about calling the girl Beatrice as homage to The Divine Comedy, so when I tried to find some modern ways of spelling the name it was either 'Tris' which is too similar to Trish so I've just kept the OC as Trixie. If I end up not liking the name I'll probably change it.


	2. A Tale of Two Showers

Hi everyone :) Thank you to those who added this story to their favs and alerts. Thank you Pneumonia and Guest who reviewed! That was so kind of you both. I'm so glad you are enjoying this story!

I just had to update. I had a great time writing this chapter so I decided to update early :)

If the first chapter didn't offend anyone, I guess that's a good start, but I have to warn you - this story will contain adult situations. I've also made Dante more pervy than he should be, especially because the story starts out when he's only meant to be sixteen years old, so some things he will do could be considered controversial. Again, sorry if it offends -bows-

Warnings: Strong language

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**A TALE OF TWO SHOWERS**

A few days passed since Dante's arrival at the orphanage.

Trixie hardly saw him. He took her room and she didn't think she saw him enter or leave. It was better that way, she thought, she didn't want to get mixed up with his sort. Apparently the rest of the orphans avoided him like the plague, too. Father Tam occasionally spoke to him but could not get much conversation from him nor did his preachings really sink in. No-one dared speak to Dante since he would just make an obscene hand gesture or spew forth a stream of profanity at them. He was a frightening young man with violent tendencies, a skewered personality and a potty mouth to boot. It was not surprising as to why no-one went within a five meter radius of the youth.

She was surprised he would even speak to her that day of his arrival. From the looks of it, it appeared Dante came fresh off the streets judging from that permanent scowl on his handsome young face. The cuts and bruises exhibited on his features were evidence that he'd spent his life in fights and scuffles. She wondered what his background was. Dead parents? Abusive parents? Abandoned at birth (like she was)? Most of the kids who arrived here were not of Dante's 'breed' so to say; Trixie was a great example.

She'd been in St Christoph's orphanage most of her life. As mentioned before, her parents abandoned her in an alleyway when she was a baby, and when she was five, she transferred from a nunnery to St Christoph's. She had no recollection of her parents or anything else from the ages one to five (or six, at least). All she knew was that when she had been abandoned, she was found wrapped up in nothing but damp newspaper and a rusty old locket around her neck. There were no pictures inside it but she kept it around her neck everyday. Father Tam was literally a surrogate father to her and the rest of the orphans were akin to her siblings... but Trixie wanted to leave. She wanted a proper home and family. She wanted to be adopted and so did the others, including her best friend Becky, but it seemed Dante wasn't on the same page as either of them. No, he would only be here for a couple of months before being transferred to a youth correctional facility apparently. Maybe that's why he never bothered talking to the other orphans.

Father Tam described him as a lost sheep that had been separated from the flock. No-one born into this world is evil, Tam had told her. People just turn bad due to their environment and circumstances. Father Tam would then tell her to make an exception for these kinds of people and simply acknowledge that they exist and that it wasn't their fault, nor were their actions and behavior completely their fault either. Not everybody was as lucky as she was. She had to learn to forgive them, Tam said, it was the right thing to do. It was what God would do. Trixie was not as devout as she should be despite Father Tam's teachings but she still listened to his words and found herself agreeing.

It would be an early Saturday morning when she would bump into Dante again. She had woken up before everyone else did, and despite wanting a long lie-in, she found that she could not get back to sleep so decided to get up. She grabbed a change of clothes, her wash cloth, a toothbrush and mug, then waddled out of her new room (which she still took some time to get used to), and made her way down the hallway to the communal bath. St Christoph's Orphanage was a small building which contained a lounge, dining room, some spare rooms that were used for get-togethers, and upstairs were the dormitories that housed roughly five girls and six boys. Dante made seven. There were two bathrooms - one for the boys and one for the girls - and Trixie entered the segregated girl's washroom, stopping at one of the sinks. She stared at her tired reflection in the mirror, scratching at her back whilst yawning.

She could hear one of the showers being used inside but thought nothing of it as it was probably Becky or one of the other girls. Trixie switched on the hot water tap and filled her mug up; she heard the shower taps squeak to a close and as Trixie fumbled with the toothpaste, a tall figure sidled into view and Trixie's eyes widened, the tube of paste falling out of her hands in shock.

"DANTE?!" She yelped, as the young man stepped towards her direction, naked as the day he was born. It didn't help that he was also wet and dripping from the shower. Trixie immediately covered her eyes with her hands but she'd seen it all and now her heart had begun thumping feverishly against her ribs. "You're...W-what are you – this is...what!?" She spluttered out.

"...Stop yelling. It's annoying." Dante muttered, staring at her with hooded eyes. Unfazed, he meandered towards the towel rack by her right and as he leaned over her, she shrunk away. She felt his presence closeby; the heat from the hot water radiating off his body. "Move." He grunted; despite the fact that he sounded sleepy, it was still enough to make Trixie's heart pound even more furiously than ever.

Trixie took a few baby steps away to allow him to reach the towel. "This is the girl's bathroom!" She added feebly, still hiding behind her hands.

"It's cleaner." She heard him mutter as he leaned off her; she also heard the fumbling of fabric and when deemed it safe, slowly lowered her hands from her eyes.

Dante was standing there, wrapping the white fluffy towel around his waist. She could not help but stare at his toned chest, the sculpted arms, the thick muscles and the strange tattoo on his back when he turned. She didn't think he would be allowed to get tattoos at his age but there it was. She also spotted a black string around his neck and saw a familiar gleaming red pendant hanging from it – the one he had when he arrived at the orphanage. Trixie continued to gape with her mouth open as he reached for another towel and slung it over his shoulder before exiting the bathroom altogether, still half naked. Before he left however, he threw his glance over his shoulder and as their eyes met, Trixie froze up all over when he smirked.

When he had finally left the bathroom, her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground in a heap of disbelief.

...

It was evening and she was in the dining room sitting beside Becky with her hands in prayer when she opened one eye and glanced around the table. The rest of the orphans were here, with Father Tam at the foot of the table. He was loudly reciting the prayer and after they murmured 'grace', everyone began eating. Trixie glanced around, noticing that Dante's seat was empty. It had been that way since Dante arrived, which had been at least three days ago. She wondered if anyone had mentioned it and raised her arm.

"Father Tam?" She began.

"Yes, Beatrice?" said Tam, as he began serving roasted potatoes onto the orphan's awaiting plates. Whilst everyone devoured their rations hungrily, Trixie barely touched her plate.

"...Dante's not here."

"Ah, yes. Dante refused to join us for dinner again. I have put aside some leftovers for him when he feels like eating."

Trixie said nothing until Becky elbowed her playfully. "Ooh, are you worried about the new kid? There's no need, it's better this way. He'll just ruin dinner time with his swearing and ranting."

"Well...I suppose you're right..." She left her sentence trailing when she realized she was confused herself as to why she'd questioned and thought about Dante's absence.

"Oh, by the way, has anyone introduced themselves to Dante yet? I think it might be good if someone shows him around the place." Tam said, and he was met with silence. "Hm? No volunteers?"

"It's not that, Father." Becky piped up as she stabbed at a carrot slice with the prongs of her fork, "I tried talking to him. He told me to get lost."

Suddenly, the youngest of them all - little Toby - raised his tiny hand. "Father Tam? Can I ask a question?"

"Yes, Toby?"

"Why does Mr Dante look so angry all the time?"

"Because he is a lonely, misunderstood soul who needs God's salvation." said Tam.

"Father Tam? Can I ask another question?"

"Yes, Toby?"

"Mr Dante told me to go fuck a duck." Toby said. Immediately the dining table went deathly silent and all eyes landed on the little boy. "What does 'fuck a duck' mean?" Little Toby added. He was only six years old.

"Jumping Jesus on a Pogo Stick!" cried Becky, her fist curling tightly around her fork, "Father Tam! Do something about this maniac!"

And Father Tam frowned at her in response. "Rebecca. How many times do I have to tell you? Do not slander His Lord's name like that."

"But Father!"

"Okay, okay. Everyone, calm down." Tam said, hands clasped together as though in thought. "Aha! Perhaps if we choose someone to keep a close eye on our new guest, perhaps his behavior shall improve. Anyone want to volunteer?" As predicted, no-one raised their arm following his question. Tam's glance wavered over to Trixie, who immediately averted eye contact to concentrate solely on her plate of food; never had she stared at a potato so hard before in her entire life. She had hoped Tam would not think about choosing her but then - "What about you, Beatrice?"

She winced, glanced up from her plate nervously as soon as her name was called out. "...Why me?"

"You and Dante are roughly the same age. You might get along better."

"So what?" Trixie protested, "Becky and – "

"Heeey, don't drag me into this." Becky said quickly, and Trixie's lip wobbled as her so-called best friend turned away, munching on a piece of broccoli, "Besides, I'm already looking after Toby. I don't need to babysit another kid."

"I'm not babysitting anyone." Trixie said quickly.

"It's not babysitting. You are the best behaved out of all the children, Beatrice. You shall thus set into place a shining example for Dante to follow and hopefully make him see the errors of his ways. Even if you spoke to him, got to know him a bit better, I would be very happy, knowing that he is not completely being left on his own all the time."

She lowered her gaze to her plate glumly and prodded at a potato carelessly with her fork, smushing the skin in with the gravy. "...Fine."

"Thank you, Beatrice." Tam said, and she felt even worse.

After dinner, Trixie was on her own when she made her up to the dormitories. The door to her room – sorry, Dante's room – was ajar and the light was on, which was rare for a change. At first, she wondered if she should go in, so she mustered all courage and walked up; before she knew it, she had knocked on the door lightly with her clenched knuckles. She was not doing this because Father Tam had asked her to speak to Dante; she herself had been wondering why Dante was skipping out on meals. There was no response but she pushed it open to a little extent and stepped in, spotting Dante sitting on the bed adorned in a black tank top and his combats, covered in scrapes and cuts and smoking (as usual). The only thing different was that his face was rather bruised and his bare arms were also covered in cuts. It looked as though a blade had sunk into his flesh.

He looked up from the red pendant he was holding in hand. Trixie recognized it as the one that he had looped around his neck; the same one she saw him wear on his first day. Even during the shower incident she noticed the pendant, too. However, as soon as he spotted her, he lowered the pendant and glared; the murderous aura he was emitting was suffocating, the venom within those gray-blue eyes of his was enough to render her gut twisting into a tight knot. "The hell do you want?" He barked, "Go away."

Again, she was surprised at his hostility. He wasn't like that this morning. He was just...rude, but not horrible like this. Trixie wasn't quite sure what she was doing or what she wanted either. "What happened to you?"

There was a silence and Trixie instantly regretted her words when he draped the pendant back over his neck, stood up and maneuvered over to her in the same predatory manner he did on his first day; Trixie took a few steps back that she left his doorway and into the hall, leaving Dante to stand at the doorframe. "Hey. You are one nosy brat."

"You're bleeding – "

"Are you retarded or something? Didn't you hear what I said to you idiots on my first day? I said Stay. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me."

She was at a loss for words for a moment and her face grew hot again, but this time it was not because of their close proximity or the fact that his handsome face was inches from hers. Humiliation and embarrassment burned deep inside her and without hesitating any longer, she spun on her heel and dashed down the hall. Dante slammed the door shut so violently that the walls shook and trembled in his wrath. Trixie was panting heavily by the time she stopped; she'd run as fast as she could away from the room, exited the orphanage grounds and into the garden. She couldn't believe it, but she was scared; she was scared of him! She stopped to catch her breath, moving down to sit on one of the benches. Holding her hand to her heaving chest, she suddenly realized something was amiss. Freezing up on the spot, Trixie searched around her neck desperately. Her eyes widened in horror but she already knew. Her locket was missing.

_Oh no, I've dropped it...where could it be?__! _Abruptly, she dropped to her knees and checked the surrounding area, rifling through the undergrowth and shrubbery of the garden for the missing trinket. She did not leave any stone unturned, literally. And after an hour of searching around, Trixie had no success in finding her locket and gave up due to exhaustion. Fatigued from her fruitless efforts, she collapsed over the grass and closed her eyes.

"Beatrice?"

Trixie re-opened her eyes, looked up immediately and scrambled to stand up only to see Father Tam at the back door that led to the garden. "Yes, Father?"

"What are you doing?" He enquired, "It's getting dark; come back inside."

"But I lost my locket..."

"Beatrice, you're covered in mud. Hurry up and take a bath. You're filthy all over. Where did you drop your locket? I'll have a look around for you."

"No, I won't rest until – " She stopped in mid-sentence from the taxing look Tam gave her.

"Beatrice, come inside. It's getting cold and I don't want you falling ill." He assured gently, "I will look for it."

"...Alright. Thank you, Father."

As Trixie told Father Tam where she thought she believed she had dropped her locket, Tam nodded and agreed to search for it briefly whilst Trixie went to the showers. Grabbing her towel and change of underwear and nightclothes with her from the room, she set off to the washroom along with toothbrush and mug. Inside, she noticed it was empty. Everyone else must've showered already judging by how steamy and clammy it was inside. Shrugging, Trixie proceeded to strip herself of her clothes and rushed under one of the showers, turning on the tap and adjusting the water to the suitable temperature. Closing her eyes, she reveled in the hot water running down her body and then turned to the inshower radio that was affixed to the tiled wall beside her (Father Tam had one built-in for both washrooms) and after fiddling around with the dials, began humming along to one of the tunes. She was enjoying the solitude and her shower when suddenly, there was a rough nudge on her shoulder from behind and she opened her eyes.

"Pass the shower gel, will ya? And while you're at it, change it to Base FM."

It was a male's voice. Her blood seemed to have turned cold. Horrified, Trixie spun round only to see none other than...

"DANTE?!" came her horrified scream; she didn't mean to look but it couldn't be helped by the fact that he was standing before her; his appearance was enough to make her leap a foot or two in the air and she hastily covered as much of her body with her hands. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

He was in one of the showers, naked, just like this morning. Bubbly water was dripping down his damp hair, running down one side of his neck and over the bumpy outlines of his honed body. She desperately tried not to look but her hands were covering her body so she resorted to clamping her eyes shut. He said, "I told you, it's cleaner here."

"Oh my god!" Trixie backed towards the wall, inching blindly away from the shower spray before she made a fierce grapple for the towel she had left on the rack without having to move her arm as much. As soon as she had a firm hold on it, she proceeded to wrap it around herself and finally opened her eyes but kept her gaze focused on Dante's upper half as much as possible. "I didn't even hear you come in!"

"Because you switched on the radio." He replied. It seemed he had no intention to leave the shower; he was still leisurely scrubbing away at his body with the shower gel which he took off the rack where Trixie had been showering in.

"I was taking a shower!"

"Yeah, I know."

"And you still came in?"

"Yeah."

"I-I...This is...You can't..." She spluttered out feebly, helplessly, "I thought you told me to stay away! W-what are you doing here, w-what do you call this? H-How long were you in here anyway?"

"About five minutes."

"Five minutes!?" She squawked, before she hurried past him and towards the sinks. She hastily wiped herself dry and left the showers, furious. Grabbing her clothes, she dressed herself in the changing room, hearing dance music being blasted from the shower radio inside. Growling, Trixie marched out and into the hall, making a beeline for Father Tam's office.

...

After Trixie voiced her disdain to a hapless pastor, she returned to her room, although as soon as she arrived, she realized someone had been inside since the door was left open. Trixie opened the door to its fullest anxiously, before spotting her locket lying on the desk. She stared at the trinket in bewilderment; there was a crumpled note underneath with words scribbled in blunt pencil. The handwriting was unfamiliar; it was not Father Tam's, that was for certain. Tam wrote neatly, his words resembled elegant squiggles.

The writing here was choppy and messy and she had a fairly good hunch who may have left her the note. As soon as she read the contents, her face reddened considerably.

It said: _You dropped this earlier on. PS. Nice tits._


	3. Why Dante and School Don't Mix

Hey everyone :) Thanks for the favs/alerts and thanks to Citlalli, Pneumonia, FallenSora233 and the two Guests who reviewed. Reviews make me very happy and makes me want to write more and update early again (it really does lol! People aren't kidding when they say that...though for my case, it also depends on the ideas I have for the fic too).

Again, if the first two chapters didn't turn anyone off, that's v. good hehe. Hmm, but what will you guys think of this chapter? Oh well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter too!

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**AND THIS IS WHY DANTE AND HIGH SCHOOL DON'T MIX**

Dante's stay at St Christoph's continued.

Trixie was neither pleased nor displeased. She simply did not know how to deal with him. She didn't know him well enough, not that she wanted to get to know him better anyway. She wanted to stay as far as away from him as possible. She guessed it was him who had returned the locket since his room was the last place she'd been before she moved to the garden that night. It must've dropped off her neck due to the slippery chain. She asked Father Tam if she could receive a new chain and he allowed her. The locket returned around her neck and she was happy. However, the shower incident was still fresh in her mind. The note he'd left behind that night when she lost her locket was also equally as embarrassing. How much had he seen of her body? Had he really seen everything?

She guessed she would find out soon, for the next time she would encounter Dante, it would be Dante's first day at his new high school.

"Holy Sweet Jesus on a pogo stick." uttered Becky, as she stared at Dante; he was a few feet away from them in the school's hallway, "I can't believe he actually turned up."

Trixie was walking beside her with her backpack slung over her shoulder; she too, was eyeing Dante's back tiredly, her gaze trailing over those wide, thick shoulders which she'd seen bare not too long ago. "Yeah. I know. Tell me about it. He didn't even bring a schoolbag." She lamented woefully, as Dante's mere presence and swagger made all students coming towards his way quickly sidestep from his path. He had the same effect on them as he did on the inhabitants back at St Christoph's.

"I hope he's not in our classes. I bet you he won't be able to graduate until he's twenty. Even then he'll be living on welfare for the rest of his life."

"That's kinda harsh, Becky. Even for you."

"Yeah, like I care. Hey, Father Tam said you were supposed to watch over him, right?"

Trixie snorted, "As if."

However, she watched Dante silently as she followed Becky to their lockers where a small crowd of girls stood closeby. Unfortunately for Trixie and Becky, their lockers conveniently had to be in the same row as the school's most popular girls, who all went silent as soon as the two arrived. The popular girls consisted of tall, blond-haired girls who looked eerily similar to each other, all clad in tight, cropped t-shirts that showed their flat, tanned stomachs and belly button piercings. They stood tall and proud in their high heels and short skirts. One girl – a blond with grotesquely long, sparkly purple nails – glanced at Becky from head to toe and sniggered loudly as she unlocked the metal door and opened it. Becky and Trixie said nothing of it. Before long, the popular girls sauntered away from the duo, sidling sensually in their high heels down the hall in long, powerful and proud strides. They basked unabashedly in the spotlight as boys all around them gawked with open mouths.

Trixie gathered the rest of her books along with her dance gear before closing her locker shut. "Come on, let's just go to class."

"Sure, sure..." Becky said with a nod. The two girls wandered further down the hall until they came to another stop. "Oh, here comes trouble." Becky added, nudging Trixie with her elbow. "Look over there, it's Miss Melons, the Queen of Twerking."

They proceeded to avert their gazes to the water fountain where the popular girls were now gathered around. Trixie and Becky slowly pieced two and two together and continued to watch as the leader – the tallest, most blondest girl in the group spotted Dante amongst the crowd. He had stopped by the billboard and suddenly the blond, ie, Miss Melons, the Queen of Twerking was sashaying towards his directions, breasts and butt jiggling with each step.

Trixie and Becky continued to watch as Miss Melons approached Dante, who turned to face her, glancing at her from head to toe. At first, his expression was stormy before it relaxed, turning into one of pure lust. The mischievous grin gave it all away.

Trixie stared; she had never seen Dante grin before. No, all he was capable of was scowling, cussing and frowning. Did that mean he was having a lousy time at the orphanage? Possibly.

Surprisingly enough, Becky was the first to comment as the scene played out before their very eyes. "Urgh, look; he's falling for her fake chicken boobs. All the boys do. Is there not one boy in this school who doesn't fancy Mikaela Malone?" She snorted, as the adequately nicknamed Mikaela "Miss Melons" Malone slinked away after Dante, eagerly following after him. "You know what? They suit each other. It's like watching one of those _Step Up_ movies, except there's no dancing involved because everybody here can't dance to save themselves and Dante doesn't drive a car that can bounce."

"Mikaela already has a boyfriend. It's Chad, right?" Trixie uttered under her breath.

"So? Dante doesn't know that." Becky said, shrugging carelessly, "I think he'd beat Chad up. Dante's like ten times bigger than him. What do you think? Dante vs. Chad. Wanna bet?"

"What? No!" Trixie cried, before she stormed off towards the direction of their classroom.

Becky trailed after her. "Hey, wait for me! What's wrong with you? Why do you sound angry all of a sudden? Are you jealous? Trixie? Heeey, don't ignore me!"

...

It was during calculus when Trixie excused herself to go to the bathroom. She only managed one step inside the female ground floor toilets when she was greeted with a sight that she hadn't been entirely anticipating, but did not find remotely surprising. The erotic, lust-filled moans should've been her first cue, along with the bra that had been dumped on the floor and the high heeled shoes.

She didn't really want to go inside any further but she saw their reflections in the mirror; there was Dante with his back to her, pushing a half-naked girl up against the grimy tiled walls of the bathroom whilst his lips attacked her neck ferociously. It was none other than Mikaela Malone, the girl who'd managed to sink her claws into Dante within his first five minutes of arriving at a new school. He was supporting her by under the knees, her long, skinny legs tangled around his waist, toes curling. She was emitting loud sighs of bliss, mouth agape with ecstasy whilst her hands clutched and grabbed at his broad shoulders, nails raking over his back and neck.

"Ohhhh, Dante!" The girl was squealing as he bit into her neck ravenously, "Dante, you're so...so...ohhh..! Ohh, that's it...right there...ahh! Oh god! Yesssss! Harder! HARDER!"

Trixie hurried out of the bathroom without a second to spare; they hadn't even noticed her! Her cheeks burning, she rushed out, letting the door slam shut behind her.

...

"Hey, you."

Before Dante could sit down, a hand grabbed him by the shoulder and he was forced to turn round. Usually, he would've broken the person's arm by now, but he was amused to see that it was none other than a boy who was a fraction smaller than him coupled with a group of jocks. Dante raised a thin dark eyebrow in response.

Meanwhile, Trixie and Becky were huddling in their little corner of the school's cafeteria, eating their packed lunches... although Trixie had lost all appetite and did not think she could stomach anything for the rest of the day after what she'd unintentionally witnessed. She didn't even know why she felt so...so disappointed and _upset_. However, all sad thoughts ceased as soon as the canteen appeared to have simmered into a silence.

It was Chad who was standing before Dante. Mikaela Malone's boyfriend. Trixie and Becky watched with wide eyes, an uncomfortable feeling swirling in the pit of their guts.

"Someone told me they saw you fucking my girl in the toilets. Is that true?" Chad demanded angrily and loudly, spraying spit all over Dante's face and front amidst his fury.

Frantic murmurs and whispers amongst the student body followed the accusation and all eyes landed on Dante and Chad standing in the middle of the hall. Trixie's face reddened when images of what she'd seen in the bathroom earlier on came flashed through her mind.

"Actually, I just used my finger." Dante replied, holding his hand up, index finger in the air, before his lips widened into a grin, "Turns out your dick isn't even as big as this."

There were horrified gasps along with shrill, girlish squeals amongst the females; Chad's face went redder before he spluttered out, "I'll fucking kill you! You son of a bitch!"

Immediately, the cafeteria was alight with loud chanting – mostly from a couple of students in the corner of the hall who were banging the tables with their trays and cutlery. "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Soon, the rest of the cafeteria joined in, bathing the dining hall in feverish, hushed chanting. Immediately, the cafeteria ladies bustled back into the kitchen – possibly to retrieve the principal - and Dante glimpsed around himself, glancing at the students who were eagerly watching the spectacle, before turning to Chad.

"You fucked my girl! I'll fuck you up!" Chad was screaming furiously.

"I'd like to see you try." He beckoned him over with his hand, taunting him with a slant grin. Chad fell for it, letting out an agitated roar as he threw his fist towards the dark-haired youth.

Dante dodged with agility too quick for the eyes to see, ducking to the side with a speed that made a few students let out some astonished gasps.

Chad was equally as surprised, evident by the spook-eyed expression that clawed its way over his face. In a split second, it changed to one of fury and he lunged himself at Dante again, who avoided with an inelegant, aloof sidestep and he patted Chad on the back as the boy went stumbling a few good paces towards the crowd, who shoved him back into the middle. The crowd gathered around, closing around the duo.

Moments later, blows were exchanged. Dante mostly evaded them and managed to punch Chad in the eye and nose a few times. Enraged, Chad then called on the rest of his followers – big and burly aspiring stars hailing from the school's ferocious, infamous football team – and they all came at Dante from all directions. With one against five six, the brawl continued and the crowd went wild.

Trixie didn't want to stay; watching this gave her no benefit. As the rest of the Chad's group advanced on Dante, she could see that he was slowly becoming overwhelmed. What should she do? Should she step in and try to stop the fight? She glanced over to see Mikaela watching gleefully along with the rest of her cronies, realizing the blond also had no intention to stop the fight; no, in fact, she looked terribly amused that two boys were fighting over her (or so she believed). Trixie was too busy eyeing Mikaela to notice that the fight was actually heading towards her way – and her eyes widened as the brawl came closer and closer to her side of the canteen and as Becky quickly scampered away, Trixie was too slow and Dante delivered an uppercut to the base of Chad's chin at the speed of lightning, causing him to stumble.

Trixie gasped as Chad went hurtling towards her but she was too slow to move away in time and as he crashed into her, she went flying too, colliding face-first into the closest canteen table. Trays, cutlery, cups and juice cans went flying and as Trixie toppled to the ground, she tried to get up only to realize there was something wet and squishy underneath her hair and body. Trixie re-opened her eyes, to see she'd conveniently landed into a tray of someone's half-eaten Spaghetti Bolognese and the red sauce and pale yellow curls were now all strewn over her face, hair and clothes. Chad was out cold on top of her and she pushed him off her as quickly as she could; he rolled like a sad sack onto his back, eyes closed and mouth open like a dead fish, with lips all bloody and missing two teeth from his lower gums, thanks to Dante. Trixie struggled to sit up and Becky went to her side immediately, brushing away food from her face and hair.

"Oh my god! Trixie!" She exclaimed, picking off strands hanging off her ear and one that was on her shoulder, whilst the rest of the spectators finally burst into peals of laughter, the canteen filled with nothing but mocking jeers. "Are you okay?" Becky proceeded to lift her off the ground until Trixie's heel slipped on some sauce and this time, as she toppled over, she brought Becky down with her too and the two tumbled back to the floor – which only served the rest of the teenagers in the canteen to laugh even raucously than before.

"Ouch..." Trixie croaked out, rubbing at her arm whilst Becky gawped at herself. Trixie was too scared to look but she saw a shadow in front of her and meekly looked up, meeting Dante's gaze as he stood before them. Heat rose to her cheeks again as she realized how silly she looked, covered in meatballs and spaghetti; however, all came to an end when the Principal stormed towards the crowd, pushing students out of his way in progress. He seized Dante by the shoulder, spun the youth around to face him and screamed into his face with the wrath of a thousand suns.

"YOU! Into my office right now!"

...

A few hours had passed since the incident at school and Trixie had returned home earlier than usual, covered in spaghetti sauce with bits of meatballs stuck to the sides of her face. She had to run home because seagulls began attacking her halfway through her journey. Father Tam was called into the school to speak to the Principal and hadn't returned to the orphanage since. She hadn't seen Dante, either. She wondered what would happen to him from now on. Surely he'd be expelled.

_Never mind him! How on earth am I going to live through high school for the rest of my life?! _Letting out an agitated growl at the thought and the fact that the whole entire school saw her landing face first into a pile of Spaghetti Bolognese, Trixie clawed at her hair which she'd just blow-dried to perfection, messing her hairstyle again. Not that she really cared anyway. _My life is over..._

She left her room, dressed in a clean shirt and denims, shuffling out with her head low and climbed up the stairs to the roof of the orphanage, throwing open the door. The rooftops offered her sanctuary. Whenever she was feeling down or angry, she would always come here to cool off. The rooftop of the orphanage was quiet and no-one really came because the garden offered more interesting things to do. The rooftop was filled with tools, old boxes filled with junk, and broken appliances that lay discarded and forgotten.

The sun was setting in the horizon and she inhaled gently; just watching the sunset made her feel at ease already, and she was about to forget all her troubles and worries and she was ready to put today's embarrassing incident behind her until a familiar, pungent smell swarmed its way into Trixie's nose and she immediately turned to her left to see a familiar figure lying down on one of the old benches. He was in the clothes he wore to school today, with the hood of his black anorak pulled over the crown of his head. He was busy staring at the sky with a cigarette sticking out of his mouth.

_Dante! _Her mind roared angrily,_ Urgh! Not him! Anyone but him! _

It occurred to Trixie that she had never loathed anyone before. She didn't think it was possible; she didn't think she could actually _hate_ someone. But she hated Dante. Oh yes. She hated his guts. She hated everything about him. Everything he did and said ticked her off. Everything about Dante made her blood boil. Everything!

It seemed he already knew she was there, since he made no effort to move from his spot although he said, "Hey."

She was taken aback by his casual greeting. "Hey yourself." She found herself inevitably snapping at him after some careful hesitation, "You're in big trouble. You're going to get expelled for that stunt you pulled at school today."

He did not turn to her; instead, he folded his arms behind his head and blew another puff of smoke into the air. This time, the smoke formed a ring and Trixie could not help but stare in amazement at the display.

"W-why do you do these things?" She added, stammering slightly as she had been temporarily distracted by his smoke tricks; he let out another puff, this time the smoke came out in a bigger ring than the one before, encasing the other like a bulls-eye target, "Do you get kicks out of it? Are you - "

He took a deep drag before exhaling loudly, "I don't give a fuck."

"There you go again! Swearing and cursing. Honest to god, I haven't even spoken to you for more than ten minutes since the day you arrived but you have been the most unpleasant, most VILE, most horrible, nasty character I have met in my whole entire life – " She was interrupted yet again by Dante; this time, he'd burst into laughter and she swallowed down the growing lump in her throat. "What now? What's so funny?"

"You."

"Me?!"

Dante did not respond to her baffled response; instead, he swung his legs over and sat up, cracking the bones in his neck by tilting his head left and right. Without removing his hood, he dug his hands into the pockets of his anorak and sauntered to her, towering over her again with his height. Instinctively, she shrunk away from him but this only served to make him move closer to her again. "Lemme hear you say it."

"...Huh?"

"Say a bad word."

"What?! No way!"

"Cmon. Just one. I'll choose one. Boobies. There. That's still child-friendly. Go on, say it."

"Urgh, you're sick! And I saw what you did with Mikaela by the way."

"Who?" He looked confused.

"Mikaela."

His expression did not change.

"Mikaela? Mikaela Malone?" Trixie repeated exasperatedly; did he not even know her name? She tried again, "You know, the most popular girl in school? Miss Melons, the Queen of Twerking? Does that ring any bells? No? You were with her in the bathroom!"

Finally, Dante let out a disgruntled noise from the back of his throat and averted his glance to the side. "Oh. Yeah, I knew it was you. I heard you come in."

"How did you know it was me? Do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?"

"Maybe." He replied, before his lips widened into a grin, "Are you jealous?"

"Excuse me?! Why on earth would I be jealous?"

"You're always looking at me."

"NO I DON'T!" She yelled; Trixie's cheeks flushed and she turned away, unable to meet his eye, "S-stop making things up! Ohhh, I don't need to listen to this! I'm going."

"Wait." He said quickly, and she halted in mid-step.

"Now what?"

"Just say it once, okay?"

"Say what?"

"You really are stupid. A _swear _word."

"NO! Geez, what is with you and swear words?"

"Just say one."

"No!"

"Say 'fuck'."

"No! Oh my god, you're crazy. I'm getting out of here." Before Trixie could leave, Dante grabbed her by the shoulder. Her eye twitched visibly. "Don't touch me."

"I'll let go if you say it."

"Get your grubby hand off my shoulder!"

"Say it. Fuck. Fuuuuuuuuck."

"No!"

"C'mon, you can do it."

"You are one – "

"It's easy. Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity fuck. See?"

"Will you cut that out?"

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck – "

"Will you shut the fuck up!" She screamed, and then she squeaked, having realized her mistake; she slammed her hand over her mouth with her eyes wide as saucers. Dante let go of her shoulder and threw his head back, roaring with laughter. For a moment, Trixie was astounded and ashamed at herself. Seconds passed. Minutes passed, and finally, Dante ceased chuckling and turned to her. She was gaping into space, aghast.

Dante's stay at St Christoph's continued...


	4. Born Bad

I have some mixed feelings about this chapter. I'm not too sure why. Compared to the other chapters, this one is a lot more serious and serves to move the story forwards. If I'm still unsure I'll probably re-write it.

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**BORN BAD**

"You were fighting!" Tam cried, "On your first day of school! Dante, explain yourself!"

Dante merely sat in the chair with one arm behind the back of his chair and one foot on Tam's desk, his leg outstretched. He was repeatedly rocking his chair back and forth, his gaze affixed to the side. He was staring intently at the crucifix which was nailed on the wall and Tam moved to stand in front of him, hoping to grab his attention. Dante merely lazily averted his gaze to the ground instead.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself, young man?"

He shrugged.

Tam was on the verge of exploding; however, he remembered his bad heart and merely returned to his seat, holding at his forehead with a loud sigh. It appeared he'd been sighing more than usual over the past few days since Dante's arrival. "...You were lucky I spoke to the principal and negotiated the terms. You were going to be expelled, but because you didn't initiate the fight, the punishment was alleviated into two weeks suspension. And thank the heavens that the boy's parents has also decided to drop this matter too."

Again, Dante shrugged half-heartedly in response. "Can I go now?"

Tam glanced up; the youth stared at him indifferently. He had never seen someone so impassive before. The youth's eyes held no remorse, it was though he had no sense of what he had done wrong. His eyes were glassy, as though they were a barrier to the world he was living in or as though everything he saw was a shadow, an outline in thick mist, a whisper in the wind. "...Dante, talk to me," He pleaded, "If you don't say anything, we can't help you. Tell me, why do you do these things?"

Dante lowered his foot from Tam's desk, all four legs of the chair returning to the floor, and slowly, he turned to the pastor, eyebrows furrowing.

"Are you lonely?" Tam asked, "Do you want attention?"

Rising to stand, Dante angrily towered over Tam a foot or so and with his palms under the table, he grabbed it from underneath and flung the table onto its side with so much force Tam immediately jerked away in fright as the table went tumbling effortlessly. Papers and pens went flying everywhere. Tam was in too much shock to move at the youth's frightening display of strength. The desk weighed a tonne! It was sculpted and made out of heavy, antique wood and when Tam had it moved to his office, it took three men just to carry it! The pastor gawped at him in sheer disbelief as Dante stood before him, seething.

"I - " He started; however, he stopped and briefly contemplated. _When you see me getting dragged into Limbo. When you see the demons after me everyday. When you see me fighting them day and night...that's when I'll talk. _He ended up saying, "I do these things because it's fun seeing that dumb expression on your ugly face."

...

Trixie heard a loud 'thud!' downstairs and glanced up from her magazine; a few minutes passed but nothing happened. Trixie then rolled off her bed, scampering to her door. She opened it and poked her head outside: at the same time Dante was skulking past her in the hallway.

"Dante? What are - "

Before she could finish her sentence, he shoved her back into her room by squishing his palm on her face and Trixie went stumbling gracelessly over her feet. After she managed to regain her balance, she scrabbled to her doorway again to see Dante making his way up the stairs to the rooftop, taking two steps at a time – she assumed he had wanted to be left alone – and Trixie watched his retreating back curiously and returned to her room.

It would be much, much later in the evening when she realized Dante hadn't come down since. She'd already had dinner with the rest of the children and Father Tam but Dante was not present. She noticed that Tam was preoccupied during dinner; he didn't finish his food and retired to his room early, asking the orphans to tidy up during his absence. Whilst cleaning up, Trixie asked Becky what had happened earlier on.

"Didn't you hear?" said Becky, "Dante was almost expelled. Father Tam spoke to the Principal and instead, Dante got suspended for two weeks. Father Tam's too nice, helping out a bad person like Dante."

_Bad person?_ Trixie thought to herself. Although Dante was obnoxious and swore like a sailor, and despite the shower incident, the school-bathroom incident and the fact that he made her swear, she didn't think he was really all that _bad_. After all, Dante didn't start the fight at the canteen. He also returned her locket when she lost it. He was probably a rude person, a troublemaker...but that didn't necessarily equate to 'bad', did it?

"I don't think he's a bad person," Trixie found herself jumping to his defense, "_Bad_ is when...you hurt someone deliberately, or-or you manipulate, lie, cheat...steal." Now that she thought about it, maybe she didn't hate him as much as she thought she did either, since here she was defending him.

"Well, yeah," Becky replied, "But Dante is still a bad person, and no-one's going to bother with him anymore. For your own good, Trixie, you should stay away from him too."

Becky's words would remain in her mind for the rest of the night until she went to the kitchen for a quick late night snack. _I'm surprised_, Trixie thought. _No-one is going to bother with Dante from now on._ _They all think he's a bad person._

Tam said he'd leave leftovers for Dante again but Trixie went to the fridge and saw that the leftovers hadn't been touched. She took them out and held the plate in her hands, pondering. Today's dinner consisted of more potatoes, vegetables, gravy and some steak. She never knew if Dante never turned up for dinner because he didn't like the food Tam served. It was rather generic and bland and it was the same thing over and over again, but Tam had taught them to be grateful for the food provided.

Nevertheless, she put the plate of leftovers into the microwave, set the timer as appropriate and waited. She also took out a juicebox (unfortunately all they had was apple flavor) and she placed it on the counter. The microwave went to a stop with a loud 'ding!' and Trixie scooped out the plate of reheated food, covered the plate with a dome-shaped silver food cover (complete with handle) and put it onto a tray, then grabbed a set of clean cutlery from the cupboard along with a napkin and the juicebox.

With tray in hands, she made her way up to the rooftops, holding the tray as still as she could. As soon as she arrived, she nudged open the door with her foot and stepped outside.

"Dante?" She called out.

Glancing around, she saw him lying on the bench and approached him anxiously. He had his hood pulled over his head again, and he did not look at her as she neared; he was not smoking this time, either. Instead, he had a couple of empty beer bottles lying by the legs of the bench. She didn't know where he got beer from since Tam literally made beer illegal within the orphanage.

"Dante?" She tried again, setting the tray on the table beside the bench. She had to move some old newspapers and gardening tools to make space for the tray. "Helloooo? Earth to Dante? Can you hear me?"

There was no response; Dante continued staring at the sky, blinking slowly. However, a few seconds later and he slowly slid his gaze to her as she stood beside the bench. "...What do you want?"

"I...uh...I brought you some food."

Finally, he craned his head to her lazily, his piercing eyes lingering on her face for a few seconds before his gaze trailed to the tray.

Trixie stepped away and gestured to the tray, "Um...well, enjoy." Before she could turn to leave, he grabbed her wrist roughly, halting her in her tracks. She froze up all over at the contact, then turned round to him meekly. "...Yes?"

He was looking at her with a frown. "Did that pudgy fuck downstairs tell you to do this?"

She shook her head furiously. "No, I reheated the food for you. I was worried you'd be hu – _EEK!_" She squeaked when he suddenly sprang up, shoved the tray off the table and onto the floor with one massive sweep of his arm. The cutlery clattered loudly to the floor, the juicebox dropped onto its side. The food came tumbling out, potatoes bouncing, gravy seeping into the soles of her shoes.

"I don't need your fucking charity or your pity." He snarled, "Get outta here. Leave me alone."

Trixie stared at the wasted food and effort; instead of shrinking away in fear as she thought she would've, she felt the last shred of her patience snap and she turned to him, fuming. "What is wrong with you?! You think you can do whatever you want, whenever you want without thinking about other people. You don't realize that you might end up hurting people along the way and that's what I really hate about horrible, selfish and rude people like you! Becky was right; I shouldn't have bothered... clearly no-one else did! Fine then, you can continue to rot in your pathetic way of living for the rest of eternity for all I care!"

Following her outburst was a silence. A very long silence.

Trixie was panting loudly; she'd never been so angry her entire life. In fact, her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own and she realized she had spewed all that out without even considering the consequences. But for once in her life, or at least, since Dante's arrival, she felt relieved. Relieved to have let out all her bottled-up frustrations go. Her fists were clenching so hard her knuckles were turning white and her fingernails were digging into the curves of her palm. There was more to be said, that was for sure...but for now, that would do.

Dante was watching her closely now, and she thought he would be angry and yell and swear at her. However, all he muttered out quietly was, "...You don't understand."

Trixie stopped heaving and panting all at once. "Huh?"

Dante continued, as though oblivious to everything she had just said, "I could get dragged into Limbo anytime."

_Limbo? Dragged?_ She continued gawping at him incredulously. "What?"

He grunted loudly. "Just leave me alone. Don't talk to me ever again. Stay away from me, for your own good. I'm a bad person. You don't wanna get mixed up with the likes of me. You'll just get hurt. Now go away, or else I'll – " He paused, rolling up to sit up properly on the bench before jumping off to stand beside her. "Shit."

Trixie stared as Dante glanced around left and right, whipping his head to and fro, thoroughly alarmed. "What is it? What?"

He ignored her. "Tch. They're here." He cursed under his breath, before he began to make his way to the one of the corners of the rooftop.

She trailed after him and stopped by his side as Dante glanced over the railing as though assessing the height. "Who is? Who's here?"

"Go back inside. Don't follow me. It's me they're after, not you, not anyone else. Me." He said quickly. Without another word, he hopped over the rails and disappeared down below before she could ask him any more questions. Who was here? Who was after him? She almost screamed as he leapt off; it was a three-storey high drop! Trixie rushed over to railings and glanced down in horror. To her astonishment, Dante had completely vanished before her very eyes.

...

Trixie waited for a long time for Dante to return. She was glad it was a Friday night or else she wouldn't have stayed up so late. By the time Dante returned, Trixie had propped up Little Toby's old, musty play tent in the rooftops and made a comfy, warm den for herself, lining the bottom with sheets and old pillows she got from the closet downstairs. When he left the rooftops, leaving her alone, it suddenly became colder and she felt a terrible presence lingering nearby. She had never felt this way before but after numerous chills down her spine, Trixie fixed up the tent, sat inside it and instantly felt...safer.

She had also cleaned up the mess Dante made (ie, the food he knocked over) and she brought her jacket, a lantern, and she had also made herself a hot drink and a plate of pancakes to munch on whilst she waited; she was sipping her drink leisurely whilst chewing on a pancake and flipping through a magazine when suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she saw Dante climb up to the rooftop although as soon as she saw him, she scrabbled out of the tent and stood up, startled.

He was hurt.

"Dante?" She put down her mug and plate to rush over to his side immediately and squatted down beside him as he slid over the banister, slumping against the wall in a heap. "Dante?" She tried again, but he did not respond. She helped him sit upright, pulling him to sit up properly by placing her hands on the sides of his arms. "Where did you go? What happened? You're hurt."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was waiting for you."

"...Why?"

"Never mind the reason why - you're bleeding!" She exclaimed. What exactly was going on? What was he getting himself up to? She saw that he was bruised and battered, with those little cuts on his arms - it was exactly the same kind of wounds she saw on him the day when she lost her locket. Was he getting into fights regularly?

He averted his gaze, groaned and grunted whilst clutching at his side. "It's nothing."

"Where did you go anyway? I was worried." She said, and he turned to her and met her gaze; he said not a word, and she had a feeling he was inwardly debating whether to tell her the truth. She waited patiently, but before he could reply, he winced and grasped at his side where he was bleeding profusely. She gasped as soon as she retreated her hand to see that her palm was soaked in fresh blood. "You need to get to hospital right now!" She squawked, and she was about to loop his arm around her shoulder when he suddenly pulled away.

"Calm down. I'll be fine. Stop yelling." He grunted. "...Just let me heal."

"But - " She was interrupted when Dante sat up and did a mild stretch and all of a sudden – to her complete and utter shock – the wounds from his arms magically vanished along with the scrapes and bruises dotting his face. He was still bloodied, but as he lifted up his shirt a tiny portion, she saw that the laceration had cleared completely and as he cleared away the blood with his sleeve, letting the fabric soak it up, the wound had vanished. Her mouth dropped to the floor subsequently following the bizarre display. "...Y-you just... how did you...But...but how?"

He shrugged and stood up, pulling the rims of his shirt over his flat, toned stomach. He had healed in seconds. She continued gaping as Dante sidled over to the tent she had been sitting in and lowered himself to lie down, stretching his legs up over the length of the blankets and placing his dirty boots over her magazine which she had left lying open.

"Hey!" Trixie protested, rushing over to his side again and tugging the article from his feet. Once she saved her magazine, she looked at the muddy pages in disgust. "...What was that all about?"

He shrugged.

"You don't know? ...Well, why did you show me?"

"I dunno. I felt like it."

"...You 'felt like it'?"

He took a while to respond, before he uttered, "You're different. Different than all the others."

Her breath caught in her throat. _Different?_ "S-so how long were you able to do that?"

"Since I can remember." Once more, he responded to her question as though healing one's body was a common ability in the world.

"Does anyone else know?"

"...No, just you."

She recoiled in shock, dumbfounded by his revelation; it took a while to sink in. Dante had never showed or told anyone before? Just her? She was stunned. "Really?" She squeaked out, "But how did you do that? Did you learn it from somewhere?"

"No, I've always been able to do that."

"T-that's amazing! It's like...magic or something."

He seemed genuinely confused, his eyes widening ever-so-slightly. "...Amazing." He repeated in a deadpan manner.

"W-well, yeah! You can heal! Not everyone can do that. It means you're special. Or is it your pendant that can heal? The one you have around your neck? How long have you had it?"

Dante threw his glance down to his pendant, "I've always had this. I was told it belonged to my mother."

"Me too; I've always had my locket, I'm exactly the same as you." She said giddily; excited for a change that they actually had _something_ in common. She fished around her neck and pulled out her own locket and held it up for him to see. "I was found with this. They told me it belonged to my parents. I wear it everyday...Too bad mine doesn't have any special powers though, unlike yours. It would've been nice. Maybe I could do something useful for a change."

He stared at her for a long time following that interesting discussion. She didn't understand after all. Of course she wouldn't. She didn't know anything about him. She wouldn't know about the demons in Limbo, the demons that would drag him into Limbo, the demons that searched for him relentlessly, the demons that wanted to rip him apart day in day out...

Nobody did.

Dante turned towards the stairs whilst fumbling in his pockets for a cigarette and his lighter. She trailed after him as he lit the end of the cigarette, took one deep drag and whiffed out some pungent smoke into the air. "Dante, wait – there's something I still don't understand. Who was after you? Is someone...is there something chasing you? Is there someone out there who wants to hurt you? Do you want me to tell Father Tam? He could help."

He stopped abruptly and Trixie almost collided nose-to-back with him.

"...Dante?"

He did not move.

"Dante? Are you okay?" She sidestepped round him and peered up at him. His gaze was solely fixated on the floor in front of him; for the first time, he appeared...conflicted. It appeared he was mentally debating something, but just as quickly as Trixie went over, the confusion and perplexity that was prevalent in his eyes vanished and his expression darkened. His eyebrows furrowing, she glanced up at him meekly as he took the cigarette out of his lips and flung it to the floor before crushing it under his boot.

He took a step towards her and instinctively, she took one step back and gradually found herself being cornered against the wall. Dante slammed one outstretched hand by the side of her head and leaned close to her; Trixie's knees began quaking immediately as he neared and she turned away, unable to meet his eye. He did not stop, however; Dante came closer and closer and closer and Trixie suddenly found herself staring at his lips which were coming close to hers.

The lips moved and -

"...Didn't I say you were one nosy brat?" He growled, "Stop saying stupid things. You annoy me, your face annoys me, and girls like you really piss me off. You and I are not the same and I don't want anything to do with you. From now on, stay outta my sight, and if you breathe one word of this to Tam or anyone else, especially your brainless retarded friend, I'll fucking kill you, got it?"

* * *

**Author's Note**

Yay! My first author's note after a chapter :3 I tried to get Dante to open up slightly to Trixie in this chapter, but obviously he stopped himself before he could let anything else really slip out because she won't understand and she thinks everything is sunshine and daisies; he regains himself and returns to his outer coldness again and shuns her completely (although its more like he took what she yelled at him there, and threw it back in her face). It's the fourth chapter but I think it'd be way to soon if he starts telling her about demons and stuff.


	5. A Birthday to Remember

Hi everyone! Seriously I'm on a ROLL! Here is another update! Thanks to 577249, FallenSora233 and the guests and everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted this fic and for answering my question. I can't remember where I got the 27 figure from but thank you sooo much for clearing it up!

But...again, I kinda have mixed feelings about this chapter. It's quite cheesy. Let me know what you think so far?

* * *

** A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER**

The weather would be phenomenal when Trixie would encounter Dante again; she would see him on the Saturday, sitting in the lounge flipping through a leaflet about the orphanage. Trixie was in a t-shirt and denim shorts and on her way to sit at her favorite chair to read the book she had with her at the moment. It was Catch-22, and she was already three-quarters through. She used the quiet Saturdays to read since the rest of the orphans would've gone to the mall or cinema. That meant less noise and more time to go through a good book.

Yet, as soon as Trixie saw Dante sitting in the chair that was her favorite, she stiffened all over, unable to move from her spot. She stared at him in bafflement, surprised to see him in the lounge and near the bookshelves nonetheless. Dante noticed the extra presence and glanced up from the leaflet. He was in his black tank top and dark faded jeans, and this time, he was not smoking. At first, they merely stared at each other in silence before his eyes trailed up and down her body, his eyes stopping at her legs. Trixie automatically crossed her legs over one another once she noticed the piercing gaze he was subjecting her to.

Dante got off the chair to stand. No longer did she feel like calling that 'her favorite chair', not when he sat on it and sullied it. Trixie watched him sidle past her; he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. She said nothing and clutched the worn out book to herself as she recalled the death threat he issued at the rooftops that day. "Hey." He said.

"Hey." She greeted nervously in return. She wondered if she should ask him more about his 'healing power' but when she noticed that he was still eyeing her silently, she squeaked out, "...What is it?"

It appeared he was having a hard time since he took a little longer to reply compared to usual. "You're not outside like the others."

"Yeah, so?"

"Weather's nice."

"I'm busy. I have plans."

"What? You mean, reading?"

Trixie glanced at the book in her arms. "Yeah. So?" She repeated.

"Don't you have friends? Aside from that retard?" He said, and she bristled all over, irritated at his comment. Before she could rebuke, he added, "Tch. How pathetic."

She snapped in a second, "What is your problem?!"

Silence spawned between following Trixie's response. Dante inhaled and exhaled loudly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Yeah, okay." He muttered, before he made a move to leave.

Never had she been so confused in her entire life. _What is he doing? Suddenly he's talking to me as though he didn't threaten me at the rooftops. Talk about temperamental!_ _Now he's insulted me as usual and when I shout back for a change, he's gone all silent...What's gotten into him? _

Suddenly, he said, "Hey. This evening...Are you..." He let his sentence trailing and grunted under his breath, "...Forget it."

Trixie watched him, confused, "What?"

"I said forget it." He trudged past her.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business." He quipped back. They passed each other in steely, tense silence until he noticed she was holding a can of Virility in her free hand. "What the hell are you drinking?"

She glanced at the multicolored, fluorescent can in her hand. "...Uh..._Virility_?" She replied, confused by the question.

"Gimme that."

"No way! You're not getting any! Get your own!"

As Dante made a grab for the can, he managed to shove it out of her hand and it dropped to the floor.

"Hey!" She cried, watching the can roll around the ground, leaking the bright, yellowish juice everywhere. Before Trixie knew it she was already yelling, "What was that for?!"

"Don't drink that piss-water. It makes people dumb; that's why you're so stupid." He growled. With that, Dante left the lounge, stomping away with his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face.

Trixie watched his retreating back, vivid with fury; with a frustrated growl she pulled out a hanky, cleaned the mess he'd made with the Virility can, dumped it into the bin, then made her way to one of the settees and plopped down on the cushion and opened her book. After a few hours, she realized she was too angry to focus on the book and despite reading a chapter or two, she hadn't even remembered what she had read. The argument was still lingering in her mind, replaying over and over again, and she let out another agitated hiss. She was about to throw her book to the floor in anger until there was a knock on the door and she glanced up to see Father Tam.

"Beatrice? What's the matter?" He asked, stepping into the lounge.

"Nothing." Keeping her anger in check, Trixie remained as calm as possible. She hoped Tam would not notice as he approached her.

"Are you alright? Is it Dante, perhaps?" He added, and she gasped. Father Tam could read her like an open book.

"What should we do about him? He's been nothing but trouble since he came here."

"To be fair, Beatrice, Dante has been on his best behavior since he arrived."

Trixie finally stopped seething. Dante was on his BEST behavior? "You can't be serious. Are you sure about that?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Indeed. Dante has a long history of violence; before he transferred here, he clashed on numerous occasions with the local authorities. His police records spans over a total of ten pages."

"So it's true then? He really has over a hundred convictions?"

"Hm. Well, that's a bit far-fetched. Dante may be rough around the edges but he doesn't have over a hundred convictions. Dante's been here for some time and he hasn't gotten himself involved with the police as of yet."

She was worried if Tam was speaking too soon. "Father Tam, why did you allow Dante to stay here in the first place anyway? There are other orphanages out there that would've accepted him, right?"

"Well, yes, but I welcomed Dante within our establishment, as I believe Dante has a good soul." Tam said, placing his hands behind his back gingerly, "Deep inside, he truly is a caring person. He just doesn't want to show it nor does he want people to see it. Perhaps we can aid him on the path to righteousness."

"...Really?"

"Yes. He's one of us now. You should look out for him."

Trixie contemplated his words thoroughly. _One of us...He's one of us now..._

"Have you seen Dante around anyway? He's supposed to help me repair the garden shed this afternoon."

She shrugged. "He was here, but he left a few hours ago."

"Hm. okay. I'll have a look. Thank you, Beatrice." With that, Tam wandered out of the lounge, leaving Trixie in peace.

...

Around late afternoon, Trixie had finally finished Catch-22 and chose Fahrenheit 451 as her next new conquest. Despite the size of the book and how thin she thought it appeared to be, the complexity of the book's contents had her mind reeling. She eagerly clutched her new book as she made her way past Tam's office only to see that the door had been left open. Tam was nowhere to be seen inside. With much care, Trixie tiptoed towards the door and pushed it open slightly. Maybe Tam had forgotten to lock it. She was about to shut the door for him when she remembered the conversation she had with Tam regarding Dante. His file should be somewhere in here... If she was quick enough, she could go in, have a search, find Dante's file and have a quick look...

She did a double-take. _No way, what am I thinking? This is something Dante would do. I'm not like him, I respect people's privacy and it's rude to snoop!_

With that in mind, Trixie nodded to herself firmly.

_However...when I spoke to him about his past, the pendant and his family, he managed to spill a few beans. Then afterwards it was as if he woke up and he put on that fierce, tough-guy front again and threatened to kill me if I told anyone. I don't think I should really try to find out about him by ASKING him stuff. It's obvious he hates it when people pry._

Trixie found herself wandering further into Tam's office, closing the door behind her as quietly as possible. She made her way towards Tam's steel cabinet, maneuvering meticulously around the chairs and his desk, and once she arrived at the cabinet, she pulled out the first drawer; this was where Tam kept all files of the children at the orphanage. Trixie flipped through the folders and saw hers – she ignored it – and eventually discovered Dante's file at the end. His file was huge! Trixie pulled it out cautiously and placed it on the desk, glancing up in case anyone entered. No-one did. Hurriedly, Trixie opened the folder and the first document inside was a profile that included his alleged birthday.

_Huh, it's supposed to be his birthday today..._ She looked up from the profile, eyes wide. _WHAT! Today?! I had no idea! Oh, he was going to say something to me today then dropped it. I wonder if it was anything to do with that?_

She wondered if it really was his birthday - even Trixie did not know her true birthdate. Shrugging, she then came across a police record of Dante including his mugshot. It looked recent, with Dante holding the steel plate and scowling at the camera. Again, she was not terribly surprised to have come across this. She then found a list of all the convictions he'd been found guilty with, but realized they were all the same over the years.

"Breach of the Peace, Assault, Assault, Assault, Breach of the Peace..." She counted, going through the list, "Resisting arrest, assaulting seven police officers – S-SEVEN?! Vandalism, Grievous Bodily Harm, Driving with no insurance? Driving without a license? What the - ?!" She continued reading through. "...Well, at least he hasn't murdered anyone."

There were comments inked in by the police officer who had been interviewing Dante at the times of the crimes, but they were always the same too: "Highly dangerous individual, anti-social, aggressive, violent." When she glanced at the comment box which were to show Dante's testimony at the scene of the crime, she found "No Comment."

"Really? Dante refused to comment? I thought he'd have loads to say. That sounds a bit weird. Hm, the police wrote down all that stuff about Dante, but everytime when it comes to Dante's own argument, they've put down 'No comment' or 'Refused to comment'." She muttered to herself aloud, "I guess I can imagine Dante refusing to argue his case, but...I'm sure he would've tried to explain himself at least once, right? Or... maybe he's just given up over the years."

Regardless, it felt rather one-sided to her.

...

After discovering that it was Dante's alleged birthday today, and the dozens and dozens of convictions he had which were enough to render him unemployable for the rest of his life, Trixie left the orphanage to find him. Tam still had no success in finding the elusive Dante, so Trixie believed he had gone out somewhere. She wondered where he might have gone to but knew he couldn't have gone far.

_There's not much to do in this side of Limbo City. _She thought to herself as she waddled around. She had even compiled a mental list of places Dante may have gone to:

The Grocery store  
The Library  
The Train station  
The School  
The Arcade  
The Tunnel under the bridge  
The Skatepark  
The Junkyard

Numbers one to four were highly unlikely so she made a trip to the Arcade first. She did not see Dante there at all. She scored it off her list and went to the tunnels – again, no Dante, but she did see a few bums and drug addicts loitering. She shivered and hastily scored that off her list too. She went to the skatepark. Again, Dante was not there...that left the junkyard as her last option. By the time Trixie arrived, it was almost dinner and she knew she would have to go home soon; however, upon arrival at the scrapyard, she saw a familiar figure standing inside along with some other individuals she recognized.

_It's Chad! What's he doing here? _Trixie rushed to a corner, hoping she hadn't been seen, and watched the scene before her; it seemed Dante and Chad (along with his group of jocks) were facing off against each other. A few words were exchanged before Chad initiated the fight. She guessed they were going to settle things once and for all. This time, however, his cronies and himself grabbed crowbars and other tools lying around the junkyard whilst Dante remained fighting with his bare fists.

_That's not fair!_ She thought, as she fumbled in her pockets for her phone. _I should probably call the police. No, wait! I can't! They'll probably arrest Dante!_

As Trixie mentally debated, the fight continued – Dante seemed to be doing fine on his own – years of fighting police and resisting authority obviously made him a skilled fighter compared to Chad and his goons – however, just as Dante evaded an assault, Chad made a fierce grab and his fist clamped around Dante's pendant. It snapped off, the black string ripping away from the little silver buckles that attached it together and Dante went still. A crowbar went ramming into his gut but he did not avoid the attack nor did he retaliate.

"No!" was all Dante could yell out as Chad held it up in his hand, the red jewel glinting brightly under the sunlight.

"Hehehe, what's this, hm? Something special, right?" Chad sneered at him with a vicious grin; Dante lunged at him but Chad had already thrown it away high up and towards the massive junk mountain behind them. The pendant disappeared amongst the piles and piles of garbage. "Oops! Look what you made me do!" Chad was howling with laughter now as Dante's grip on him fell slack. "Get 'im!"

They crowded round him; Dante was merely standing, his hands balled up so tightly that his knuckles went white and his bones cracked. As one of the jocks came forwards, screaming and yelling with a hammer high in the air, Dante whipped his head up, glowering. The jock suddenly tensed up all over under the murderous gaze but it was too late; he was too close. Dante let out a brutal yell and with a clenched fist, he punched the jock so hard in the face he went flying in the air, his feet leaving the ground. Another of Chad's minions faced a more violent fate - Date snatched the boy by the arm and with a fierce yank, there was a loud 'snap!' and the boy was screaming in agony, dropping to the ground whilst cradling with his broken arm. The rest of the group glanced at each other uneasily following the violent display.

"Don't just stand there!" Chad was screaming, and his group continued to close around Dante, deciding it was best to obey orders since it was still, at least, five against one.

Trixie left her spot and rushed into the junkyard without further ado; she'd seen him beat Chad up, but that was at school and this was different. Entirely different. She watched as Dante broke legs, noses, jaws, arms and fingers. Someone was thrown high into the air before landing on the roof of a broken car, another was kicked so violently his body soared limply like a ragdoll and slammed into the wall of a rundown shack, the wall crumbling from the impact.

_If he keeps this up, Dante could **kill** somebody, _she thought,_ This is no good; I can't just stand here. I have to do something! _

_"_Dante!" She frantically made her way towards him, "Dante, stop! Stop it!"

And the entire time, her mind was screaming: _Oh my god! What am I doing? I'll get killed too!_

"Dante!" She yelped, watching helplessly as he punched Chad with so much brute strength he went spinning; before Dante could make another move – Trixie did the impossible without even thinking twice about the consequences – she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "_Dante, stop_!"

"Get off me!" He roared as he yanked her off and shoved her to the side; Trixie went flying to the ground with a yelp, scraping her palms in process.

She glanced up only to see Dante making his way towards Chad again. Trixie scrabbled up and this time, she grabbed him from behind, trying to pull him back. "Dante, stop! This isn't going to solve anything!" Before he could push her again, she let go of him to return to face him fully, grabbing the sides of his face and forcing him to look at her. "Listen to me! You have to stop this – beating them senseless won't change anything! I'll find it for you, okay? I'll find the pendant – the one your mom gave to you – I'll find it, I promise! Trust me!"

"Shut up and let me – " He never finished his sentence, deciding to push her out of his way one last time. She went spiraling again. She glanced up, saw that Dante was charging towards Chad again and once more, she did the unthinkable –

Trixie ran in front of him with her arms out; she saw the clenched fist flying towards her direction but she remained rooted in her spot, squeezing her eyes shut to brace for impact.

However, nothing happened.

Trembling, she re-opened her eyes to see Dante's fist mere millimeters before her face, having managed to stop himself in time. However, never had she been so scared before in her entire life. She almost dropped to her knees but she mustered the courage to meet his gaze. She knew he was not glaring _at her_ but his ferocious expression was enough to make her want to cower in fear. His eyes were glazed, drowning in the anger and wrath that had overcome him this precise moment. Dante looked positively murderous. To her utmost surprise, after a few seconds, his expression gradually cleared up as Trixie slowly lowered her arms, the light in his eyes returning... and it seemed he had calmed down a little.

He was inhaling raggedly, taking shallow breaths. He croaked out, "...You...Why did you..." Eyebrows knitting together again, he angrily roared, "What the hell are you doing?! I knew you were stupid but not_ that_ stupid!"

She squeaked out, "...It was the only way to get you to stop."

Before Dante could respond to that, Chad had finally gotten up and with his crowbar raised high in hand, he went charging towards them - Trixie in particular since she had her back to him. "You son of a bitch!"

Trixie was too slow to react to that – but suddenly, she found herself being pulled into Dante's arms and he turned, shielding her from Chad – and the crowbar slammed into his back whilst Trixie watched on helplessly. The crowbar made contact with Dante's back with so much force it went spinning out of Chad's hands and clattered to the ground, rattling. Dante grunted, his arms still wrapped around Trixie securely. Her eyes went wide in horror; there was no way Dante would recover from that. It would be enough to paralyze someone. And Chad was about to strike again until the sound of police sirens could be heard in the distance. He stopped and stilled, cursing under his breath.

"Damn it, cops are here. Let's go!" Abandoning their tools, Chad and the rest of the jocks hurriedly escaped the junkyard too. "We'll get you next time, you piece of shit!"

They averted their glances from the entrance of the yard, then to each other. Trixie was left alone with Dante. It dawned to her that he was still holding her tightly to him. "...Are you...are you okay?"

He nodded, wiping away at a thin stream of blood that was beginning to spill from the corner of his mouth, "Yeah. Are you hurt?"

"No." She shook her head, "Um... you can let go now."

He let go.

"...T-the police are..."

Dante let out a grunt under his breath, "They sound too far away. They won't come."

How could he be so sure? Trixie nodded weakly regardless. "Sure...Er...Dante, you're bleeding. Aren't you going to heal?"

He ignored her and went to the junk mountain before proceeding to hoist himself up, using an old microwave for balance before he climbed to the top effortlessly. Trixie watched him, then followed after, climbing up the junkpile carefully. Once she arrived at the top, she wobbled, having to hold onto a rotting sink for balance. Dante stopped rifling through the junk and turned to her, watching carefully. She rolled up her sleeves and tied her hair up with a bobble from her wrist, then nodded in response before copying his actions, rummaging through hordes and hurdles of scrap and junk.

Together, they searched in silence for Dante's missing pendant.

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

The window rolled up and the man in the black suit returned to sit properly in his seat, facing the front. "Well, that was exciting to watch. What was his name again?" He asked.

"Dante, sir." The chauffeur replied, glancing at the neatly-preened man in the backseat from the rearview mirror. "He's just a kid. Sixteen years old."

"We could use someone like him. He's very good at fighting for his age, don't you think?"

"Yes, sir."

"And who was the girl?"

"Perhaps his girlfriend, sir."

"Very good. Well, drive on, Shen. We've seen enough for today."

"Yes, Mr Sullivan." said Shen, with a tilt of his hat, before he proceeded to steer the black rolls-royce from the parking spot outside the junkyard.

* * *

**Author's Note**

I wrote a few versions of this: there was one where Dante didn't stop in time and knocked her out cold lol. I scrapped that version - as much as I can be cruel to OCs, that was probably too much haha. Yay! It's chapter 5! To celebrate, here is a profile of Trixie:

**Name:** Beatrice "Trixie"

Trixie was found abandoned in an alleyway as a baby and she only has an old locket that apparently belonged to her parents; she was taken in by a nunnery before transferring to St Christoph's Orphanage at the age of 5-6. Due to her upbringing under a religious and devout Father Tam, she is very pure, innocent and naive. She seems to make the most effort with Dante and is drawn to him due to his nature which is the opposite of her own.


	6. Never Been Kissed

I'm sure everyone will know what will happen in this chapter judging by the title hehe. It's probably OOC, so many apologies.

Also, in answer to the Guest who has asked for lemon scenes to be added, I hadn't thought about lemons yet but I guess it would be normal if there were considering the nature of the story and some of the stuff Dante has done so far. You can let me know what you think.

Thank to the guests, Pneumonia, FallenSora233 and VenomousStar for the reviews! Reviews make me happy and makes me write more! Keep 'em coming, please? ;)

* * *

**NEVER BEEN KISSED**

Many hours later, and Trixie was knee deep in smelly, slimy garbage, digging her palms through heaps and heaps of rubbish, ploughing through tonnes and tonnes of foul-smelling waste, until she finally spotted something bright, red and shiny underneath all the grunge and grime. She reached inside and pulled it out, lifting it into the air. It was indeed Dante's pendant.

Turning round to him, she held it up high and with a wide grin, she yelled out, "I found it! Dante, I found it!"

Dante, who was still bruised and beaten as he hadn't bothered to heal himself, immediately stopped in his own search and glanced over to her direction. As soon as his eyes landed on the jewel in her hand, he abandoned his side of the yard and rushed over, wading through the garbage before stopping directly in front of her.

"I found it." She repeated, with a big smile on her face before she handed it to him. She opened his stiff hand and placed it within his palm lightly, then curled his fingers around the smooth jewel. "There you go. Don't lose sight of it ever again."

Dante looked at the pendant she had returned to him before he hurriedly draped it over his neck, slotting the string back into the silver buckles and tightening it. She thought she heard him breathe a very, very, very quiet sigh of relief until he looked at her again. She stared at him blankly in return. Suddenly, Dante raised his hand and smeared away some grit and gloop from her face.

She automatically ducked, moving away from his hand, "I'm fine. Don't mind me." She said; Dante glanced at the pendant hanging around his neck silently. He didn't need to say it but she knew he was grateful and relieved to have it back. She watched happily as he trudged out of the garbage pile effortlessly and then - "Oh!" She exclaimed, before she checked her wristwatch, wiping away some dirt from the clock face. "Great, I think we still have some time."

"Time for what?" Dante asked; throughout the search, he'd been very quiet but now it seemed he was back to his usual self, "Aren't you going to head home?"

"It's fine, I've already texted Becky and told her to let Father Tam know that we'd be a bit late. There's something I have to do first, and you need to come with me."

An eyebrow rose indifferently as he asked, "Where?"

"I'll tell you when we get there." She tried to pull her legs out of the mess only to notice that she was stuck and no amount of wriggling was going to help. Glancing up at him, she held her arms out, "Um...a little help?"

Dante reached for her as she requested, and when their hands touched, she flushed from the contact. He didn't seem to have noticed and hoisted her out of the dirt pile, bringing her close to him, their noses almost touching. She didn't notice it before but Dante had such brilliant blue-gray eyes. In fact, there were a lot of Dante's features she hadn't quite noticed before until now. Despite his tough exterior and constant glower, he had such a defined jaw, bow-shaped lips and then there was a scar on his right brow, even though she thought he had the ability to heal any sort of wound. Regardless, the close proximity only served to make her blush even furiously than before and she quickly hopped out of his arms, dusting herself down. "Come on, let's go."

...

She'd brought him to Pete's Pizza Parlor.

They stood side-by-side outside the brightly lit diner, with Trixie grinning widely to herself. Immediately, Dante turned to leave, storming away with his hands in his pockets.

"Heeeey! Where are you going? Come back!" She ran after him, grabbed his arm and dragged him back to her side, "Let's go in and get pizza."

She led him inside the diner where a waitress greeted them and guided them to an empty four seater table. Dante stared at the glossy, greasy menu that was presented in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest. Trixie was busy ordering since Dante did not seem to voice his opinions on what pizza, size or topping he wanted, nor did he tell her what he wanted to drink. Trixie decided to order herself then, hoping Dante would like what she had ordered; the waitress stood by their table, scribbling into her tiny pad before she nodded and returned to the work station to send the order to the kitchen. Dante did not think a place as such would still be open due to the hour, but it seemed the Parlor was open twenty four hours and the restaurant area would be open until midnight. It was not surprising then that the only patrons inside were Trixie and Dante. A cleaner was busy mopping near the door leading to the toilets, although she took one look at how filthy Trixie and Dante were and growled at them as they trailed muck over the pristine tiled floor she'd just cleaned.

Trixie glanced around the restaurant space excitedly, before turning to him. "Well? Isn't this great?"

"What are you doing?" He said, as he leaned against his seat.

"We're celebrating."

"Celebrating?"

"It's your birthday, isn't it?"

Dante went still, before he lowered his gaze to the floor, frowning.

"You should've told us so we could've held a party for you." She replied. He aimed a silent glower towards her directions and she merely beamed at him in response, "Heh...well, we still would've done _something_."

"This is stupid. I'm getting outta here." He kicked away the chair beside him and rose to stand but Trixie immediately got out of her chair and scurried to his side.

"Dante, sit down, I've ordered. Look, it's already coming." Trixie said, gesturing to the waitress who was making her way towards them with a tray. "Sit down. It's on me."

He grunted. Nevertheless, he slid down into his seat and as Trixie returned to her own, the waitress plopped down their order in front of them. It was a large, triple mozzarella cheese pizza smothered with sausage, ham, chicken, pepperoni and meatballs. It seemed Trixie had ordered the Parlor's infamous Mega Mighty Meaty Pizza. Even the inside of the crust was loaded with cheese. To his relief, he saw no olives.

"And here are your strawberry sundaes. Enjoy." The waitress said; she should've sounded more enthusiastic than she came across, but due to the fact that it was almost midnight and it was just herself serving, she sounded extremely tired and bored. They watched her return to her workstation in long, heavy steps in her ridiculous plum-red, frilly Pete's Parlor uniform.

Trixie excitedly inched the tall glass of strawberry and cream towards Dante's side of the table, before grabbing her own and plopped it beside the salt and pepper shakes close to her. He eyed his sundae warily; he didn't know why she ordered one for him. She could have ordered a coke or something, but instead she got this. She appeared oblivious to his aversion towards her taste in beverage and gawked at the massive pizza before them and unfurled her napkin, draping it over her knees. "Mmm, this looks yummy." She said, grinning whilst rubbing her hands together. She didn't realize that Dante was watching her the entire time. "Okay, I'll cut you a slice. I'll cut you a nice, biiiiiig slice since it's your birthday."

She took the knife that was supplied and using her own fork, began cutting neatly into the pizza. When she had cut out a slice for him, she slid it into his plate. He stared at it with an eyebrow raised, then watched as she tidily cut herself a slice and put it into her own plate. "It's not my birthday." He said.

"What?"

"The day they found me... that was my birthday."

"Oh." She muttered, crestfallen, "...I know. The day they found me...From then on, that was my birthday, too."

They sat in silence for a few seconds.

"We should still eat anyway." Trixie mumbled, before she picked up her fork and knife and began cutting into her pizza slice, slicing a neat triangle piece out and placing it gingerly into her mouth, "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

After staring at it suspiciously for a few minutes, Dante picked up his own slice and began eating. He was using his hands.

"Is it good?" She asked, with her mouth full of cheese and meat.

"Yeah." He replied.

They continued eating until Trixie looked up, munching tentatively at her slice. "...By the way, do you really have over a hundred criminal convictions?"

"I dunno. Lost count."

"Well...you haven't done anything so far since you came here. Father Tam's really happy."

"That's because I haven't been dragged into Limbo, except from that time at the rooftops."

"You've said that twice by now."

"...Never mind." He muttered, before he proceeded to eat the rest of his pizza.

"Um...well, let's talk about something else. Do you...do you have any plans for the future?" She asked; he was eating like a starving wolf; never had she seen anyone look so hungry before. He ignored the knife for his taking and ripped out another large slice of pizza for himself and devoured that in seconds.

He shrugged, reaching for his strawberry sundae. He didn't even bother using the spoon or straw provided and drank from the rim, wiping his mouth using the back of his palm. Thank god he did not join them for dinner at the orphanage. His table manners were atrocious. Trixie did not say anything about it, deciding to observe. "I want my own place. If I get enough money...I'll leave this joint." He murmured, "What about you?"

She was surprised he had said so much to her in one sentence, which was nice for a change, and she was also surprised he'd asked her. "Huh? Me?" Trixie said, momentarily staggered by the question. In fact, Dante had been surprising her a great deal lately. Perhaps she was getting closer to him than she had realized, or wanted? "I want to be adopted." She replied "I want a proper home. A proper family. A good family. I want to grow up knowing that I'm safe and I won't get passed around from home to home. That's good enough for me. Or even better...I'd like to meet my real parents and ask why they abandoned me."

He watched her solemnly for a few seconds, "...What's your name?"

Trixie almost dropped her slice of pizza in shock, jaw almost dropping to touch the table surface. "What?! You mean, all this time, you didn't even know my name?" She barked, jabbing her fork at his direction angrily.

"Yeah."

"I can't believe it! It's Trixie."

"Trixie?"

"Yes. My full name's Beatrice. It's an old name but the nuns named me after their patron saint and no-one really calls me that except from Father Tam."

"It suits you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, cos' it's stupid."

"Hey!" She snapped angrily, but he laughed. However, this time when he laughed, heat rose to her cheeks and she glanced away in embarrassment. And to her utmost surprise, she found herself smiling.

...

Dante paid; she didn't think he would have any money but when they had finished eating, Trixie asked for the bill and before she knew it, Dante shoved some bills he fished out from his pocket and into the awaiting tray. He even left a tip. Trixie didn't mind paying; she had the pocket money she got from her chores and that would've been enough. Regardless, she was happy with Dante's gesture of goodwill and they returned to the orphanage to see Father Tam sitting on the deck chair on the front porch. He had been waiting for them. Dante pushed open the gate for her and allowed her to enter first with a hand on her back; immediately, Tam sprang up in his seat and rushed over to them.

"Dante! Beatrice! What time do you call this?!" He exclaimed angrily, his bulbous cheeks were red with anger, "It's past curfew! I was so worried that I almost called the police! Explain yourselves!"

"It's not her fault." Dante said casually, and both Tam and Trixie turned to him in surprise when he moved to stand in front of her in defense. "I went out for a walk and got lost. Trix found me. By then it was really late."

She glanced up, elevated that he'd said her name for once, and Tam said, "Dante, come into my office; we need to talk. Beatrice, you go upstairs and clean up... why are you so dirty? In fact, both of you are filthy from head to toe. Hurry up and get washed; I will speak to you in the morning."

"Father Tam, wait – " Trixie started, but Dante stopped her, shook his head and smirked, accompanying it with a wink.

Again, her cheeks reddened and she threw her gaze to the ground, then meekly muttered her apologies and brushed past the two men. She headed up the stairs towards the dormitories, throwing another concerned glance over her shoulder. When she returned to her room, she grabbed her pajamas and entered the washrooms.

After showering briefly, she re-emerged from the bathroom only to see Dante heading up the stairs into the hall. "Dante?"

He glanced up and stopped before her. "Hey. You're still up?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Have you finished speaking with Father Tam? How did it go? Sorry, this is all my fault, if I hadn't dragged you to have pizza then – " Before she could finish her sentence, he had suddenly grabbed her by the wrist and led her to the side, forcing her back against the wall. He pinned her wrist by the side of her head and she squeaked out, "...W-what is it?"

Her question was answered when Dante placed his other hand on her cheek and lifted her face up to his; Trixie froze when he leaned over and he was coming closer and closer...so close that as soon as their lips touched, her eyes widened. All of that happened far too quickly for her to react, although she appeared unable to react in general. It was not a brief, light kiss either; Dante was pressing his lips firmly over hers again and again and Trixie was too stunned to move, to astonished to make a noise, too astounded to respond in any way. All she could do was close her eyes as he kissed her hungrily. His lips were cold but rough, dominating her mouth with passionate abandon. The grip on her wrist increased, the hand under her chin tightened, bringing her even closer to him. Her heart was thumping painfully against her ribs; surely he could hear and feel it too. She didn't even realize when he had pulled away, and Trixie re-opened her eyes, blinking wide-eyed into space.

He kept close to her, his lips lingering by the shell of her ear, "What's with that stupid look on your face? You've never been kissed?" He murmured, his voice was low and husky, making her shiver.

Amidst her state of confusion, she nodded, shook her head, then nodded limply once more.

"I was your first kiss?"

Again, she nodded.

He chuckled under his breath, "Good."

Once she regained her senses, Dante had let go of her and he was sidling down the hall towards the direction of his room.

"Night." He called from over his shoulder.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat. With a shaking hand, she ran the tip of her finger over her bottom lip gently. Dante tasted of cigarette smoke, pizza and strawberries.

...


	7. Rebel Without a Cause

**REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE**

The Golden Rules of St Christoph's Orphanage which should never ever be disobeyed, like, EVER.

1. No kissing  
2. No holding hands  
3. No hugging  
4. No fondling/groping  
5. No sneaking into each other's room, especially at night  
6. No dating  
7. No sex

Trixie sighed.

Rule 1 was already broken. She guessed Rules 2 and 3 were also broken too, since she'd held Dante's hand before when he helped her out of the garbage pile, and Rule 3 was broken when she tried to stop him from practically murdering Chad on the spot. She woke up the next morning with memories of last night fresh on her mind; in fact, she couldn't recall being able to sleep. Tired and groggy, Trixie sat up in bed and held her hands in her face. Dante had kissed her yesterday before bed... She wondered what this meant from now on.

Downstairs in the kitchen, Trixie was fixing herself breakfast when suddenly a shadow fell over her and she whipped round... to see none other than Becky.

"Phew!" She breathed a loud sigh of relief.

"What's the matter with you?" grumbled Becky, grabbing a Lucky Charms cereal box that had been standing beside the cereal Trixie had been trying to reach. "Were you thinking I was someone else? Dante, perhaps?"

"N-no, of course not. Why would I think you were that jerkface?" Trixie stammered out, cringing at her choice word of 'jerkface'. As soon as she fetched her cereal box from the top shelf of the overhead cupboard, she followed Becky to the cupboard where they handed each other bowls and spoons before moving to the table to sit down. Becky already had brought out the milk so the two girls emptied the cereal into their bowls before pouring in the milk.

"Where did you guys go yesterday? You came home really late. It was almost midnight."

"I went to find Dante because Father Tam had asked him to help him repair the shed; when I found him, he was in a fight with Chad."

"Urgh, why am I not surprised?" Becky scowled, dabbing at her bowl's contents with her spoon, "Look at my face. Not surprised."

"Chad took Dante's pendant and threw it into a junkheap, so we looked for it together."

"Really? Is that all that happened? Or did something_ else_ happen?"

"No, that's all that happened."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Are you really, really sure?"

"YES!"

Suddenly, another figure lumbered into the doorway and both Trixie and Becky glanced up to see none other than Dante. "Speak of the devil," Becky said, grinning wickedly whilst Trixie blushed furiously as she recalled last night's events. He looked half-asleep, and he was still dressed in his pajamas consisting of a white vest and loose, baggy gray pants. Despite the simple garments and how plain he looked, it was enough to send Trixie's heartbeat soaring when she caught sight of his sculpted muscles and his wide, broad shoulders. He didn't even seem to have noticed the two girls as they stared at him wide-eyed; he simply walked to the fridge, opened the door roughly, and glanced at the contents before pulling out a large pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Wait!" Becky cried, but it was too late – Dante put the jug to his lips and and drank from the pitcher directly – and she was left gawping at the sight. "Hey, that's for everyone to use!"

In response, he flipped her the bird.

To Trixie's astonishment, she let out a stifled snort of laughter at the display before slamming her hand over her mouth in shock. Becky turned to her in surprise and the girl herself appeared stunned by what she had done, too; Becky was fuming as she turned to address Dante. "Hmph! If you want some, then pour yourself a glass! Glasses are kept in the bottom cupboard by the sink."

Dante finally averted his gaze to her, frowning as he wiped at his mouth. "...Shut up."

"Trixie, say something!" Becky exclaimed, turning to her seat only to realize it was empty. "...Trixie?"

She was nowhere to be seen.

...

Later, Trixie left the sanctity of her room. She had been avoiding Dante all day today, entering rooms when he was not in them and leaving them as quickly as possible when he arrived. Her last excursion led her to the kitchen as she was thirsty and wanted something cool to drink, although she saw a bizarre sight as she passed: all the girls (except Becky) were sitting in the back porch on the deckchair with popsicles in hand and cans of Virility beside them.

_I want one too_, Trixie thought with a sigh, _It's been so hot this weekend. _She stepped outside to greet the girls with a wave, "Hey, what's everyone looking at?"

"Eyecandy." said Joyce, one of the girls who were slightly older than Trixie and Becky by a couple of months.

"Eyecandy?" Trixie repeated.

"Shhh! He'll hear you!" Joyce hissed, pushing her sunglasses further up her nose before she gestured angrily to the yard before them.

Trixie followed the direction of where her finger pointing to only to realize Joyce was talking about. "Father Tam?" She said, eyebrow raised. There was Father Tam in his grubby work dungarees and checkered shirt with deep, dark sweatstains under his armpits and over his front. He resembled a lumberjack with his cap and old fishermen boots to complete the outfit. He was carrying a hammer and a toolbox in hand and Trixie tilted her head to the side. "Father Tam suits that image. It makes him look more fatherly." She commented.

"No, not Father Tam, you stupid idiot!" Joyce barked out, "THAT piece of eyecandy over there."

When Joyce gestured again, Tam moved out of the way and Trixie spotted a familiar tall and dark-haired young man who had been covered by the pastor's large frame. Dante. Oh, right. Him. He was busy hammering a few planks into place into the shed, holding a nail in between two fingers whilst one was sticking out of his closed mouth.

Trixie let out a scoff and tried to cover her own embarrassment when she realized he was half-naked and she had unintentionally stared at him for longer than intended, "Big deal. He's not wearing a shirt. Big deal..." She left her sentence trailing; Dante was only clad in his jeans - which she saw were rather low-slung. She could see the waistband of his boxers showing (which were black), and she didn't know if that was the style of the pants or if he had deliberately wedged it a little down his hips...or if he hadn't even bothered to pull his pants up properly. Regardless of how ridiculous it was, she supposed Dante looked..._hot_, as he hammered and worked under Tam's guidance. Again, she saw the pendant hanging around his neck, the red jewel gleaming brightly under the sweltering sunlight.

"Mmm, I know. Just look at him. He's shirtless, hot and sweaty. Look how nice his ass fits into those pants of his." Joyce crooned, purring with delight as she devoured her icy treat. "Wanna join us?"

"No, thanks." She couldn't help but feel slightly..._angry_ that Joyce and the others were shamelessly ogling at Dante (and he appeared oblivious too...or was he?), "Looks like they're finishing up anyway."

"Good work, Dante." Tam was saying, as he deposited the rest of the tools into the box, "I think that should do for now; I'll put these back in the garage. Can you move the old planks to the corner for me, please?"

"Yeah, sure." Dante replied, reaching for the planks as requested.

She was surprised he would be helping Tam out in the first place. Shrugging inwardly, Trixie was about to leave the back porch when Dante glanced up; he had gathered the old planks with one arm and lifted it to settle over one broad shoulder. Now she really could see his strong muscles rippling, the sweat dripping off him in a bright sheen. Trixie stared; those planks must've weighed a tonne but here he was effortlessly carrying them around, and he caught her gaze and aimed a smirk at her direction. Whilst Joyce and the other girls waved and wiggled their fingers at Dante in a flirtatious manner, Trixie jostled out of her thoughts. Ah, right, he was probably looking at Joyce...since she was way out front and Trixie stood behind the deck chair. She brushed aside the assumption that he had been looking at her and made her way to the kitchen, although the feeling that she was being watched never truly did go away.

"Hey, Trixie." Joyce added, "Take this into the kitchen since you're heading inside."

She held out an ice cream wrapper, popsicle stick and an empty Virility can. "Oh," Trixie muttered, "Sure..."

"Trixie, take mine too?" said another girl.

"And mine!"

"Mine too!"

Trixie waddled over to the girls, grabbing a plastic bag from the side and allowed the girls to deposit their trash in. She bundled up the trashbag and was about to return to the kitchen when all of a sudden, Dante was making his way to the porch and grabbed the bag out of Trixie's hand. Turning to the girls who had been watching him all afternoon, he tossed it to them and they shrieked when the garbage flew over them.

"Do it yourself." He barked.

Joyce was shrieking wildly with empty juice cans and popsicle wrappers all over her lap. "Ewww! Dante, you jerk! Father Taaaaaam!"

Tam was at the scene in seconds. "What's going on here?"

Whilst the girls screamed and pointed at Dante accusingly, Trixie quickly used this opportunity to leave. She returned to the kitchen, pulling open the door of the freezer and she fished out the popsicle box. There was only an orange flavored one remaining. She figured there would be no problem if she took the last one... Tam would probably get more for the children anyway regardless. She hastily unwrapped the plastic shrinkwrap from the ice pop and was about to eat it when suddenly –

Someone's hand wrapped around hers before the tip neared her mouth and brought it away; Dante's face suddenly appeared beside hers and he licked the icy treat right before her eyes.

"Eep! Dante?!" Trixie squealed; he was so close her heart almost jumped out of her ribs. Astounded, Trixie opened her mouth in protest but before she could say anything, he scooped the rest of the popsicle from her hand, and rammed it into his own mouth. "Hey, I was about to eat that!"

Ignoring her, he proceeded to drag her out of the kitchen, his rough fingers clamped over her tiny wrist.

"L-let go!"

Pulling the freezing popsicle out from his mouth using his other hand, he said, "You're coming with me."

"Where are we going?"

Behind them, Father Tam and the girls were calling after them, "Dante! Get back here and apologize this instant! Dante?" They were thoroughly ignored.

Dante led Trixie up two flights of stairs and she realized he was taking her to the rooftop. Trixie gawked at him, then at his large hand which was wrapped tightly around hers. What was he doing? Why was he holding her hand? The worst thing was, he was still half-naked! She was too embarrassed to look at him properly and she desperately tried to pull free from his grasp but to no avail. And as soon as they reached the rooftops, he dragged her over to the bench and finally, released her hand. She was left to rub at her wrist as she looked up at him meekly.

"Sit down." He ordered. "You're going to be my pillow."

Without waiting for her response, he pushed her to sit on the bench and Trixie blinked blankly as he sat down beside her before moving over the bench completely. She attempted to inch away towards the arm rest closest to her as much as possible, but he grabbed her and pulled her back to her previous spot before lowering his head on her lap. He closed his eyes, resting. Trixie went still and stared limply into space, wide-eyed.

"G-get off." She managed to stutter out uncomfortably as her cheeks flushed, "...What are you doing?"

No response; Dante had committed himself in resting over her lap and there was nothing she could do about it. She tried shoving him off her but he was too heavy. "Why are you avoiding me." He muttered. It didn't sound like a question.

"I-I'm not avoiding you. I've been extremely busy and - "

"Are you scared?"

That took her off guard. "W-what? Scared? Of what? N-no...Why would I be scared?" She squeaked out, and he gave her a taxing look. "...You're the one who's always telling me to stay away from you." _More like threaten, but whatever..._

He glanced to the side, before he suddenly moved to sit up beside her and she tried to get off the bench but he grabbed her wrist again and forced her to sit back down beside him. He was suddenly staring so intently into her eyes that her gut twisted into a tight knot, "Want to be my girl?"

Her eyes went wide instantaneously. "...H...huh?"

"If you say 'no', then I'll leave you in peace. If you say 'yes', then you become my girl."

She swallowed down the massive lump in her throat. "B-B-but the rules, Father Tam doesn't – "

He rolled his eyes, "Fuck Father Tam, fuck the rules." He said that on his first day, too. "What are you so afraid of? What's the worse he could do? He can't throw you out or anything."

"No, it's not that...it's just..."

"What?"

She didn't want to say it. _You've got criminal convictions, you get involved with fights, you smoke, you drink, you swear, you're a troublemaker. _"...W-well..." Trixie stammered out, as she then recalled what she'd seen in the school bathrooms. She threw her glance down morosely. "You take these things so easily. I'm sorry but...I'm not like that. I'm not that kind of person. I'm not interested in...in...Oh, I don't know, but I'm not interested in being with someone just for fun... When I'm with someone, it has to be because I really like them and they really like me too."

For some reason, she was embarrassed to have said such things. She was traditional, she assumed. She wanted to meet someone who loved her, who would cherish and treasure her. But why did she feel embarrassed telling Dante that? What was wrong with her values? Nothing, absolutely nothing!

He gazed at her steadily for a long time. "Hey. Hey, hey, look at me, Trix," He cupped the sides of her face in his large, calloused hands and made her look at him, "Yeah, I've been with a couple of girls before you. So what?"

She wriggled away from his grasp, "...What do you mean 'so what'?"

"I never liked them. Not one bit."

She guessed she could not hold that against him. What was she hoping for anyway? That she would meet a boy who hadn't had a girlfriend before, who had a clean slate and was innocent and naive like her? Inexperienced? New to the whole 'dating scene'? Cherry unpopped? The male version of herself? People like that didn't really appear to exist in Limbo City. Trixie also didn't think she would want someone like that, either.

_I don't want to be with someone who is exactly like me. I want someone who's the opposite. Someone who is brave, strong and outgoing, because I'm...I'm a shy, quiet person...and I don't want that in a partner too. It'll just be dull...but still... Dante's a player. He went with Mikaela and since then he hasn't even bothered with her... what if its the same for my case too? What if he'll end up tossing me to the side after a while? What if he gets bored and tired of me? I don't want my heart broken..._

"Then you...you played with them?" She asked carefully, "...You... toyed with their feelings?"

Her questions only served to frustrate him. "No, it was just for...y'know, fun. They knew that as well. To them, I was 'for fun' too."

"Oh, so you both played along. You both played your parts."

The rooftops fell silent following her words.

"I don't want that. Not with you." Dante said, after a few minutes; he stood up, kicking at an old cardboard box in his way, "Some girls are scared of me, some aren't. Those who aren't, they just want fun. It's never anything serious. They use me in a way, I guess. I didn't complain. But...you're different."

_He sounds serious. He sounds like he means it. I haven't felt so vulnerable like this before, it's like I'm handing my heart over to him, asking him to take good care of it. _She thought, as she gawped at him. Trixie didn't understand. Suddenly the fact that Dante had convictions and all those other things she had been thinking about didn't appear to exist anymore. All she knew was that he was able to make her heart pound and her face blush. She didn't get it at all. He would threaten her. He would sometimes carry a conversation with her. He would tease her mercilessly, but sometimes, she would see a side to him which she hadn't quite seen before. Sometimes he would barely say a word to her, sometimes he would open up and say things like this. It kept piling up and up. Why was Dante so elusive to her, so appealing? What was it about him that made her want..._more? _The mystery behind, and surrounding Dante was really starting to get on her nerves, but at the same time, proved that she was curious about him, to learn more about him.

The worst thing was, she couldn't even begin to comprehend _why_.

* * *

**LATER**

The dinner table was quiet; Father Tam and the rest of the children were locked in silent prayer until the doors slammed open and footsteps stomping loudly into the room could be heard. Tam glanced up and so did the others; Trixie's eyes widened when she saw that it was none other than Dante who had entered. He spotted her at the far side of the dining table and went to her, stopping at Becky's side.

"What do you want?" Becky snapped at him.

"You're in my seat." Dante growled.

"What?! This is my seat! Sit somewhere else! There's plenty of seats - "

"Rebecca, hurry and let Dante sit down." Tam said quickly, hoping to avoid trouble at dinnertime.

Becky frowned before grabbing her plate and cutlery; she reluctantly moved to the spare seat beside Little Toby and plopped down, glaring at Dante as he pulled out the chair far and wide, seating himself down beside Trixie. She looked at him as if he sprouted two heads but he merely grinned at her. She eventually smiled in response and looked away with her lips held tightly together, trying not to laugh at what he had just did. She couldn't believe Dante had_actually_ come down to join them.

Tam clapped his hands together, "Right, let's eat. Dante, I'm glad you're here."

"Yeah, well, I'm hungry." He replied casually.

"Good, good...we have plenty for everyone, don't worry."

The potatoes, the chicken, the vegetables and the gravy were passed around the table. Once Trixie was passed the meat, she slid two slices onto her plate before handing it to Dante; he merely looked at her, unmoving. "...Don't you want any?" She said.

"You do it for me."

Maybe when they first met, she would've yelled at him for that comment however Trixie took his cutlery and turned to him. "...How much do you want?" She asked, holding the plate in hand.

"Gimme four, or five." He replied, and she emptied up to five slices onto his plate.

When he muttered his thanks, she passed the meat platter to the next person. Trixie also did the same for the potatoes and vegetables, asking how much Dante wanted and helping him move portions into his plate. She didn't mind. Once all the food was passed around, everyone was beginning to eat. Under the table, he grabbed her hand and held it firmly, his thumb brushing over the back of her palm. Trixie tensed up all over and nervously glanced at him from the corner of her eye, before swerving her glance to their entwined hands. Dante was not looking at her. Was he pretending to be oblivious? Her cheeks warmed and she went still; the Golden Rules of St Christoph's Orphanage which should never ever be disobeyed swarmed into mind.

1. No kissing  
2. No holding hands  
3. No hugging  
4. No fondling/groping  
5. No sneaking into each other's room, especially at night  
6. No dating  
7. No sex

Maybe the rules could be broken for once...

* * *

**Note:**

If anyone noticed, this chapter was inspired by those Diet Coke adverts with Tam being the main star. Only joking, it was Dante. Hehe. Hope you liked this chapter!


	8. Nightmare in Limbo Land

**NIGHTMARE IN LIMBO LAND**

There were two players in front of him, trying to block his way to the net. He made short work of them and aimed for the hoop with the ball in his grip; it soared effortlessly out of his hands and into the air in a perfect, curved arch before dropping through the net.

"Yes!" cheered his teammates, whilst the opposing team groaned and moaned at the goal which ultimately decided the winners and losers of the game. Dante was approached and there were a few hearty slaps on his back coupled with some high-fives and some quick handshakes of merit. "That was awesome, Dante."

He smirked, lifting up the bottom of his vest to wipe away at some sweat dotting his forehead before he noticed a familiar girl making her way past the public basketball court. Trixie. She was not alone for her retarded friend was stuck to her side and they were both giggling and chatting to each other animatedly. "Gotta go." Dante said quickly, before he jogged to the court's exit.

"That your bird, Dante?" asked one of his teammates, who had retrieved the ball and was bouncing it up and down over the smooth paved ground.

"Yeah."

He exited the court as quickly as he could and finally stopped in front of her. Her friend (the retard) appeared extremely shocked to see him. "What are you doing here?" She proceeded to snap at him.

"None of your damn business." He snarled at her in return.

"Urgh, Trixie, c'mon, let's go..." said the retard, tugging at Trixie's arm impatiently.

"She's not going anywhere with you." Dante continued to growl out, before he grabbed Trixie's arm and pulled her towards his direction. Before she knew it, he was already dragging her further and further away from the court and her retarded friend could now only watch helplessly from her spot.

"I'll be fine, Becky, you head back first!" came Trixie's meek response.

Whilst Dante grinned inwardly to himself, the retarded friend was left to walk home on her own. Finally, Trixie pulled her arm free from his grip and they stopped in their tracks. "...Why can't you be nicer to Becky?"

"She annoys me." He merely replied and Trixie sighed in response.

Suddenly, a voice from the side brought their attention to one of the boys behind the fence of the court carrying the basketball under one arm, who was now watching them keenly. "Yo, Dante. Same time tomorrow?"

"Same time tomorrow." He said, and the ball was tossed towards his direction through a gap in the fence. He caught it smoothly before proceeding to grab Trixie's hand with his other. She blushed profusely but said nothing in response, choosing to clutch her books tighter to her chest.

"What are you doing here anyway? Were you waiting for me?"

"Maybe." Dante drawled, before he began spinning the ball on his index finger.

"Looks like you had fun." She commented, as she watched the ball spin around and around, resembling nothing but a dark brown blur that was balancing on his one finger.

"It passed the time." He replied, and she bit her lip. That was right; Dante was suspended from school for two weeks. He must've been bored. "You finished school?"

"No, I've got a free period. I have to go back to school for - "

"Let's go out."

"Go out? Um...l-like on a date? I-I can't go out. I was going to head to the library, I have lots of homework and I have a math test in two weeks; I have to study."

He frowned, his expression darkening considerably at her rejection, "You have a test. In **_two _**weeks."

"Yeah."

"Then why don't you study for it tomorrow and take a break today?"

"No." She shook her head, "Dante, I haven't finished school yet. I've still got one more period; if I don't go, they'll notice and I could get in trouble."

"Then get that friend of yours to cover for you. It's just one period, right?"

Trixie did a double take. He must mean Becky. She contemplated to herself silently; yes, she could get Becky to cover her back. "...Well, I guess I...I could..." She found herself stuttering out. Was she not able to say no to him?

"Then let's go." Without listening to anymore protest, Dante continued to lead her down the street.

...

He'd taken her to Bellevue Pier at the western outskirts of Limbo City where a fairground had recently been constructed. Funland was very busy although it was a weekday, and despite dragging her with him, Dante opted to sit out most rides. Although she constantly looked at her wristwatch, Trixie did not return to school for the rest of the day. As she said, she only had one period left and it was her most hated subject. Surely if she missed one that would be fine, right? Becky had skipped some classes too before and she had never been pulled up for it. Trixie was sure she could do the same thing, just for this once. She would also text Becky and ask her to tell Father Tam she did not return to class because she fell ill during the free period. Tam wasn't in the orphanage anyway; he was out in town doing chores. He wouldn't know the difference. And she knew for a fact that Tam would never be caught here in Funland. Everything fell together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle; how could it go wrong?

And although she felt guilty for the lies, Trixie was having a great time.

She returned from the food kiosk with a stick of candyfloss in hand whilst she clutched a giant, chestnut-brown teddybear which Dante won for her at the rifle stand with his remarkably suspicious but impeccable shooting skills. She spotted Dante further ahead and sauntered over to him; she saw that he was busy marveling a trailer that was standing by its lonesome at the pier. It stood amongst the rest of the rides and the kiosks, sticking out like a sore thumb. She also wondered who it belonged to and why it was here in the first place.

"Everything okay?" She asked as she joined his side, pulling out a piece of the pink fluffy cotton before stuffing it into her mouth, "That's a nice trailer. Want some cotton candy?" She held out the stick of pink fluff out to him for his taking.

"Yeah, I know." He replied, before he pulled some cotton candy out from the stick and popped it into his mouth.

She remembered that he once said he'd one day have his own trailer. Maybe he would try to save up to get this one since he seemed to like it? "Well, I've been on all the rides now. What should we do next?"

He shrugged, making another grab at her cotton candy stick and before she knew it, he'd taken most of it and he proceeded to scoop bundles into his mouth. "What do you - "

Trixie glanced up when he had halted in mid-sentence; he was gazing intently behind her and she tilted her head to the side. "...What is it?"

She followed the direction of his gaze only to see that he was looking at a tall, thin man dressed in a black suit who was standing a distance away, facing them. People were passing the man from all directions but they seemed not to notice him. The man's head was lowered, his eyes covered by a matching black peaked cap with a silver symbol on the front. He wore black leather gloves, his hands unfurling and curling until finally, he looked up - and she had never seen such horrible eyes like those before – the man was lacking eye whites, his eyes completely blood-red with a single, eerie amber slit in the middle. Those terrible eyes landed on their forms and the man raised his long, thin finger at them.

His mouth moved and a low, feral snarl emitted from the back of his throat. "_Dante_." He hissed out, and Dante's eyebrows furrowed tightly.

"Damn it." He muttered, stepping away from the bewildered Trixie. Glancing around, he saw the scenery around them beginning to change, warping and distorting. All around, the people walking around the fairground slowly began to disappear, only leaving wispy trails of blurry, gray-white outlines of themselves.

"What's wrong? You know that guy?" Trixie asked.

He turned to her, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Trix? What are you..."

She gave him a funny look; never had she seen him look so confused before. "Dante, what's wrong?" Trixie asked again, until she noticed that all of a sudden, there was a dull, gunmetal-gray handle sticking from his back. Her eyes went wide at the sight. The handle belonged to a sword! _A sword!_ Where the hell did he get one from?

Before she could say anything else; she heard an awful snapping noise and turned to face the direction of the sound – it was the man in black from before only he was now standing on his lonesome. The man was hunched over but he was contorting violently, his body convulsing and trembling in an unsettling manner as though he was being pulled around like a puppet on strings. Trixie watched with widened eyes, before frantically searching her surroundings for signs of other people to see if they had also noticed the bizarre display but she realized there was no-one else around. Suddenly the entire fairground was empty and devoid of people and Trixie glanced around in bafflement. It appeared it was herself, Dante and the strange man were the only people here!

"Dante, what's going on? Where is everyone?" She asked, fear was evident in her voice; however, she received no response for Dante had picked her up in his arms and he was now running as fast as he could away from the direction of the man. "Dante, who is that?"

"A demon." He said quickly; throwing his glance over his shoulder, the man was still undergoing whatever horrific transformation was taking place. His long, gangly arms twisting around in a disturbing fashion, shoulders going slump before the man eventually bent backwards with a loud 'crack'.

"Demon?!" She exclaimed in horror as she stared at the display; the back of the man's head was touching his heels! "W-what's going on?! Where are we anyway? Where did everyone go?"

"We're in Limbo. You're not supposed to be here; I don't know why and I'll fill you in later, but right now I – " He was cut off when the sound grew louder and louder, and it was far too inhuman and as Trixie whipped her head round to watch the man again; a massive, scaly claw covered in gore and blood came bursting out from the man's chest before proceeding to plunge its great talons deep into the ground, its foul, raggedly nails scraped over the concrete. A swirl of blood and a thick, black, sludge-like substance pumped out from the rest of the man's body as the creature furiously wrestled its way out of its earthly confines.

"_Dante!_" snarled the creature, shaking itself out of the human pelt before it began to give chase on all fours. The ground trembled beneath them as the creature's massive, bulky frame lumbered after them. It resembled an excessively large, wolf-like creature with the head of a bat; it had long arms and legs and as noted, sharp talons protruded out of the ends of each claw. Spikes lined its back and it was covered all over in black, shaggy, coarse fur. Two bright-red eyes glowed eerily under the evening light and mucky saliva mixed with a black, ink-like substance dripped from its long tongue and formidable fangs. The creature was fast, sprinting towards them on its powerful arms and legs before it dived for them. Dante narrowly evaded, having to jump away in time, still clutching Trixie in his arms.

She squeezed her eyes shut as he leapt, clutching on for dear life as the creature crashed into a parked truck, its enormous size completely overturning the truck to its side. Trixie watched in horror; what the heck was that monster?! "Shit." Dante cursed again, throwing another glance over his shoulder before he stopped, skidding to a halt on his heels.

"Dante?" She exclaimed, as he settled her on the ground.

"I have to fight that thing; it dragged us both and defeating it will get us back home." He said. How could he sound so calm in a situation like this?!

"What?! You can't fight that – Eek!" She was interrupted when the creature burst out of the truck, flinging the massive vehicle into the air as if it weighed as light as a feather and as the truck landed on the ground a distance away from them with a ground-shattering 'thud!', the creature lunged at them but before it could get close, Dante was already firing at it using two, sleek-black handguns he had whipped out from his belt.

His inhuman speed in pulling the trigger made her jaw drop for the umpteenth time. The surprises just kept coming and coming. "Find a place to hide; I'll come get ya when I'm finished." He yelled over his shoulder as he continued unleashing a hail of bullets into its face; the creature howled and lifted an oversized claw to shield itself.

Trixie gawped at him. He said it so freely. Without waiting for her response, he was already charging at the creature, battling it with the large sword and the guns. The creature was gargantuan, the size of a building and here was ant-sized Dante was, fighting it without seemingly breaking a sweat. Trixie stared in bewilderment, in horror. He was fighting as if this was normal, as if this was...something he'd done a million times. A loud 'crash!' jostled her out of her thoughts and she noticed it was the monster's claw that had come barreling her direction.

"Go!" Dante shouted, holding it back with his sword in hand. The sword was roughly the same size as him; how he was wielding such a greatsword with that kind of strength and agility was truly extraordinary. She nodded weakly and with shaking legs, she turned and hobbled towards an alleyway.

"_You're not going anywhere..._" hissed the creature in a low, gravelly voice, stopping her by plunging another claw deep into the ground before her; she screamed and leapt back a few steps as it retreated its claw, fists scraping dirt and brick. "_...You're next, little girl..._"

Anger flashed through Dante in a nanosecond and suddenly he was swiping at the demon's claw with more brute force than usual, causing it to pull away. With no chance for it to recover, he slashed it across its gut so fiercely blood sprayed all over the walls, then he slashed it horizontally down its face before it could even react from the first few attacks.

The demon was unfazed, however. Its wide jaws formed a despicable grin, fangs clenching together as it growled out, "_Oh? did I make you angry? Fine then,_ _I'll kill her first. I shall devour her whole.._._ tear her apart, feast on her insides and bathe in her blood, and you can watch me, Dante_..."

"You talk too much for a demon." Dante sneered, and Trixie glanced up at him numbly, wondering if he really should be taunting a hideous monster like that; plus, there was nowhere she could escape to!

"_I'll eat you both; you'll make good meals.._." snarled the demon, as Dante batted away its claws with his sword.

"Give it your best shot." Dante retorted, with a haughty grin.

"_Die!_" Throwing its claws into the ground, Dante avoided the attack and closed in on the demon, swinging at it with his sword with a few timed slashes.

Trixie watched the spectacle, aghast. She wondered if Dante had conveniently missed telling her about anything else regarding his life. She still found it quite hard to believe that here he was, fighting a monster with a sword and guns. And it seemed this had happened before. Not once, but many times. She didn't think the battle would end; however after a few slashes and a few more shots from his guns, the demon emitted a shrill shriek of pain and began to withdraw.

Dante made a move forwards, but stopped when the buildings around them were gradually returning to their proper places, as though some unseen force had literally pushed them aside to create the space for the demon and Dante to have their battle, and the shadows of the people began to finally materialize into existence; the demon was returning to its normal appearance, slipping into its once abandoned pelt and crawling back into the tiny space. It was as though its massive size could squeeze into that tiny, human bodyframe as Trixie watched it retreat to the disguise of the thin man in black. His body slowly returned to normal, his arms and legs which had been left lying on the ground, splayed like a puppet, snapped back into their proper places with loud cracks and the demon-turned-man pulled his head back into its normal position upright on the shoulders, blinking his eerie blood-red eyes. Trixie could not help but stare at the grotesque display and suddenly, she glanced around once she noticed that people were now walking past them.

They were back in the human world.

"Hey, get back here!" Dante yelled, as the demon-turned-man began to run towards the crowd, disappearing amongst the throng of people. "Hey!"

Trixie followed him but by then, they both knew the demon was long gone.

"Damn it." Dante cursed, kicking at a stone in his path. "I almost had him." He turned to Trixie then, only to see that she was gazing at him with half-lidded eyes, her arms crossed over her chest. He glanced away, a little sheepishly.

"We'll find somewhere quiet. _Then_ we'll talk." She muttered, uncrossing her arms before she spun on her heel and began walking towards the direction of the pier.

Dante trailed after her wordlessly.

...

As they sat at the pier, sitting at the edge with their legs dangling over the planks, neither one spoke first until Trixie let out a sigh. They were the only ones there save for a few fisherman who were finishing up for the night; the fairground was about to close and they knew they would be kicked out sooner or later by a security guard but they didn't mind. He'd also gotten Trixie another stick of cotton candy at the foodstand but it seemed she didn't have an appetite for it, not after what had happened. Instead she held it limply in her hand; the giant teddy they won sat beside her on her right whilst Dante sat at her left.

"Okay, so what was that again?" She said.

"A demon." He replied, staring down at the deep, dark watery depths below them.

"What did it want from you?"

He shrugged.

"And why did it try to kill you?"

"I dunno."

"And what was that place exactly?"

"Limbo."

There was a silence following Dante's answer.

"You've got to tell me more than that." She pressed on, frowning slightly at his one-worded, ineffectual answers.

He shrugged again and glanced towards the sea, "It's their world. It's where they live. Normally you can't see them unless they drag you in."

"Why would they do that?"

"I told you, Trix, I don't know."

Trixie stared at Dante for a long time from the corner of her eye. He appeared to be refusing to meet her gaze, too. "Alright, so let's sum some things up. You can heal. You're being hunted by demons who keep dragging you into their world, Limbo, for some unknown reason. When you're in Limbo, you have a sword and two guns."

"Yeah, I can use Rebellion, Ebony and Ivory there."

He told her he named his weapons. Like a man naming his car. She sighed inwardly. "...And they only appear when you're in Limbo. Or at least, the sword does."

"Yeah."

"Have I missed anything else?"

"No."

"Am I the first person to be dragged into Limbo with you?"

"Not really."

"Okay, so there were others before me. What happened to them?"

"...Got killed by the demons."

"K-Killed?!"

"Yeah, 'cos they didn't listen or stick close to me."

"What happened to the ones who do listen to you and stick close to you?"

"When we finally left Limbo after I killed whatever shit-eating scum that dragged us in there the first place, I...don't see them again. They don't want anything to do with me."

Her expression softened at his revelation. "Oh."

"Trix, if you don't want anything to do with – " He paused in his sentence, then growled low in his throat and rubbed at the back of his head. "...Tch. Never mind. Exit's that way." He mumbled, gesturing behind him to the pier. He cast his gaze to the sun as it set over the horizon, casting a bright but gentle and soothing orange glow over the sea.

A few seconds passed, but nothing happened. Dante threw his glance over only to see that she was still watching him with an undecipherable expression on her face; he frowned, believing that she was feeling sorry for him or mentally debating what to do. However, she suddenly began inching closer and closer to him before she glanced to the side, away from him. He eyed her warily for a while but she did not budge, indicating her final answer. "Have you wondered what you are?" She asked instead.

"What'd you mean?"

"Well...maybe there's more to you compared to others, like myself or Father Tam, Becky..." She said, "Do you want me to look into it for you? I can have a look at the library."

For a brief moment, surprise was evident in his expression until he quickly turned away from her, "...No, you don't have to do that. Not for me."

"Haven't you thought about it before?"

"What if I'm better off not knowing? What if I end up finding out something I don't want to know?"

"Like what?"

He shrugged.

She watched him carefully, then smiled lightly. "Well, to me, it doesn't matter. You're still...you. You're Dante."

Finally, Dante turned to face her. Their eyes met. Her heart suddenly thudded a tad louder than before and didn't seem intent on stopping as Dante neared. Instead, it appeared only to have heightened. Instinctively, she backed away but he responded by coming closer. Intimacy was something she was unfamiliar with and she froze on the spot, her mind going to mush. The gap between them was closing; she was lost in his eyes which were concentrating on her solely. He was drinking her in with his gaze, his lips millimeters from her own. At first, he touched her hand before his arm completely enveloped around her waist, pulling her towards him and the contact sent shivers down her spine. Suddenly she wanted to touch him too, to weave her fingers through his short dark hair. The side of their legs brushed against one another and she quickly pulled away. Did he feel that? He must've, because she saw him smirking, and their faces drew closer and closer. Did she want this? Did she not? If she didn't, she could flat out refuse. But here she was, unable to move and even eagerly waiting, as her eyelids fluttered shut in hopes of anticipating the kiss this time. Her mouth went dry, her lips dying for Dante to claim them, but then –

"Hey! Get outta here! The pier's closed! Out!"

Trixie quickly re-opened her eyes and turned to see the security guard before them; pulling away, she grabbed the prized teddybear and hastily wriggled in his grasp to stand although his arm was still wrapped around her waist. Muttering apologies on Dante's behalf and her own, Trixie and Dante brushed past the security guard, his arms still wrapped tightly around her waist.

"Damn teenagers." muttered the guard as he watched them with disgust, "Think they can do whatever they want these days..."

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

"That was an interesting fight." Mr Sullivan said, as Shen slid into the driver's seat and pulled the belt over himself before clipping it into the holster.

"I'm sorry I failed, Mr Sullivan." muttered Shen, gazing at Sullivan in the rearview mirror.

Mr Sullivan gave him a reassuring smile, "No need to apologize, we were merely assessing Dante's strength after all. You did well. Are you hurt? You looked like you took a beating."

"No, sir. I only used very little strength. If I had used full capacity I would've annihilated the little insects in seconds."

"Ahh, well, we don't want that because we need the boy. Let's go home."

"Yes, sir." Shen ignited the engine and checking the mirrors before he moved out, he proceeded to steer the car out of the carnival parking lot and towards the main road that would lead them into Limbo City.

"Did you find anything else about the girl?"

"The boy cares for her a lot, sir. I threatened to eat her and he went insane."

And Sullivan laughed jovially under his breath. "Very good. Perhaps we could use this to our advantage after all. Let's stir up some trouble, shall we?"

* * *

**LATER**

Trixie returned to her room after a long, relaxing shower, opening her door only to see Dante lying on her bed with an A5-sized pink book propped up in his hands. It said 'Diary'. He glanced up as soon as she entered and flipped to the next page while she gawped at him. "What are you doing in my room?!" She spluttered in shock, fists clenching at her sides.

"I was waiting for you." He replied. It seemed he'd showered as well, since he was in the white vest and those baggy gray pants of his.

She blanched as he put the book on her bedside table. "What was the point in me giving you my room if you just come in here – which is, by the way, the room you were supposed to stay in - anyway?" As he shrugged, she sniffed the air and intook the whiff of acrid cigarette smoke in the atmosphere; then she saw that he'd dumped ashes into a little tub where she kept her stationary. Horrified, she rushed over and picked it up, inspecting it. He really had been smoking! She coughed and clamped a hand over her nose before rushing to the window and opening it with a fierce jerk on the knob, flapping her hands around as if it would help make the smell go away, "And you've been smoking! Urgh..."

Dante glanced at the packet of cigarettes sticking out of his pocket. "Yeah."

"How many do you smoke a day?"

"I lose count." He said, "You don't like it?"

She whipped round to him sharply, "When did I ever give off the impression that I _liked_ it?" Trixie then scrambled to the doorway, poking her head out into the hall before she retreated inside and closed the door behind her, "Did anyone see you come in?"

"Nope."

She was panicking, pacing her room up and down whilst he watched on with amusement. "Oh my god oh my god oh my god. You can't stay here. If Father Tam sees you – no, if _anyone_ sees you here then there'll be trouble."

Dante climbed off the bed and stood in front of her, looming over a great deal that she stepped backwards slightly. "So what?" He said, and she began to grow nervous. Dante was in her room. _Her room!_ And it was nighttime! Her heart pounded more furiously than it had ever before when she realized this was another Golden Rule being broken. No scratch that, at this rate all the rules would be broken in no time.

"Dante, I was going to study. I already went with you to the fair and thank god no-one's said anything, but now I really owe Becky and I really have to - "

"Lock the door." He interrupted her with a grin.

Trixie's face went slightly pale. "Huh?"

"We were interrupted last time." He said, before he reached behind her and locked the door for her; she glanced down at the doorknob before looking up to meet his gaze. He towered over her, palms flat on both sides of her head to block any means of exist. Before she knew it, Dante leaned down and pressed his lips against hers roughly. Her legs almost buckled.

Trixie couldn't find herself resisting anymore.

* * *

**Note:**

I was going to stop this chapter at the MEANWHILE part by the way, but then I decided to add in a LATER hehehe. Trixie is becoming more and more corrupted due to Dante's influence since she played hooky! lol. I also wanted her to dwell a bit more on if she wants to continue being involved with Dante, but I think it's already established that she is drawn to him no matter what and it's also chapter 8...so the story must move on! I also couldn't remember if Ebony and Ivory manifest only in Limbo, but the opening scene of DmC kinda confirmed they don't, so I just put down that only Rebellion does. Plus, Shen is a type of Rage demon who can drag people into Limbo. He squeezes all that ugliness into a little skinny human body and when he transforms, he rips out of it and when he has to return, he crawls back in and zips himself up lol.

Review? ;)


	9. Just You and Me

**WARNING!**

Im not confident posting this up... :(

Before you read (and sorry for spoiling it for you) but I'm just gonna say it...are you ready?

...

...

...

Dante gets laid in this chapter.

...yeah.

I know some of you knew this would happen and were (eagerly) waiting for it, so no surprises here hopefully.

It is controversial for reasons you will know yourself. I have to warn those who are uncomfortable reading lemons, then you should skip to the end. Dante is also the initiator... since I've made him such a horny punk in this fic than he really is (...sorry). There is also a REASON for this to happen especially at this point in the fic, and it moves the story forward and also outlines the increasing change in Trixie's personality/character.

So yes, this is a dirty, graphical, smutty chapter, but it's not PWP.

Also, I want to say thank you to the guest, A Guest D, guest1, 577249, Pneumonia, Bulmathedragon, FallenSora233, Peekaboo, starrat and Blacktiger93 for reviewing and their support. It's really nice to know what you think of the story because I keep worrying about it.

* * *

**JUST YOU AND ME**

_This is the place_, Shen thought, as he crawled up the wall of the church that stood close to the orphanage, using his claws as leverage. _St Christoph's._

It was night-time and only a few lights were on in the building. Although in Limbo, there was not much difference. Anything that happened here could affect the human world, too. He crawled up the spire, balancing at the very top of the cross. Glancing around, he sniffed the air before he shook himself. Thick, fluffy black spores flew off his fur and floated gently in the air before they shot towards the front yard and back garden of the orphanage like arrows being fired from their bows. One even landed on the rooftops. Immediately, the spores dissolved into a black inky substance, seeping into the earth and building. A dark miasma consequently began spreading around the orphanage.

Through one of the windows on the ground floor, he watched a chubby man dressed in robes walking down the hallway suddenly stop in his track. The darkness, now a wispy black smoke, seeped into him via the mouth and nose and the man shivered slightly. His eyes turned black briefly before he blinked, eyes returning to normal. Glancing around, the man continued his way down the hall. On the second floor, Shen watched the smoke spores find another host - a girl who had been sitting on her bed, reading a book. It seeped into her, in exactly the same manner as it did to the man, through the nose and mouth.

_Now all we have to do is wait..._. Shen turned and kicked off with a giant leap, and on the way down to the ground, his body contorted and twisted, reverting to his human guise. He landed in a crouch, before he slowly got up to stand.

He walked down the quiet streets, hands in his pockets, whistling.

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

His hands were trailing up and down her legs and body and his lips were hot and wet on her neck, kissing her fervently. Her mind was a blur as she lay still in Dante's hold as he caged her between himself and the mattress, his face buried into her nape; she had to tilt her head to the side slightly, closing her eyes as he sucked and licked. Twenty minutes before and Dante had decided to go into her room – they were standing at her door - and the next thing she knew they were making out on her bed. The transition from the door to the bed was all so sudden. At the pier and she didn't get a chance to touch him although she had wanted to; now she had wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers weaving into his hair, letting out a little moan when he bit down teasingly. He brushed the rest of her hair away from her shoulder to reach newly exposed skin and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

_What's that?_ She thought, as Dante kissed her hungrily whilst hovering above her, _There's something hard against my – oh. I see...riiiiiight._

Her face reddened considerably as she shifted under his grip, which only caused him to groan. Abandoning her neck, he averted attention to her lips where he plundered her mouth ruthlessly. At this rate, Dante would probably go from first base to home run in minutes.

_Can't breathe_, she thought, and she opened her mouth to draw in a breath and then something warm and thick invaded her mouth. _Mmph. He's using his tongue._

Her eyes widened slightly as he explored the rest of her mouth with his tongue before deliberately tangling hers with his and when she made a muffled noise of protest, he merely smirked against her lips. His hands were all over her body, caressing and stroking her before stopping at the rims of her shirt where he began to impatiently tug out of the waistband of her pants. Before he could completely remove the garment, there was a knock on the door and Trixie automatically pulled away from him, breathless and sweaty whilst Dante continued to kiss the side of her face.

"Someone's at the door."

He moved away from her cheek and began sucking at her bottom lip. "Don't open it."

"Trixie? I need to talk to you. Are you in?" said a muffled, familiar voice. There was another knock on the door before the doorknob rattled. To Trixie's relief, she had remembered Dante had locked it for them before. Another knock followed the attempt to enter the room. "Trixie?"

_It's Becky._ She tried to wriggle free from his grasp but he merely pushed her down on the bed, climbing over her. "Dante, no – " She was cut off when he kissed her again, "She might hear."

A few seconds later and Dante finally let go of her; she rolled out of the bed, pulled down at her top and lifted her pants and tiptoed to the door. There was a silence from the other side and she inwardly hoped Becky had left. When nothing happened, she turned to Dante as he lay on her bed, arms folded behind his head. He looked comfortable. When they locked gazes, he smirked as she sighed haplessly. "Is she gone?" He asked lazily.

She nodded. "I think so." He held his arms out invitingly and she returned to the side of the bed where he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his lap. "You're not supposed to be here anyway." She muttered, as he kissed her shoulder, "It's against the rules."

"Rules are meant to be broken." He replied, grinning.

She let out a giggle and he pulled her forwards, pressing his lips against hers urgently, eliciting another moan from the back of her throat. He moved her in his lap so she was now straddling him, her crotch bumping against his; she could feel him growing hard and shyly pulled away in embarrassment. He followed her movement only his lips left hers, so he averted attention to her neck again, sucking and biting at her skin. Her coyness was adorable; he seemed to be enjoying how timid and frightened she was, and he pulled her in for another kiss.

_S_he had never been so close to anyone before; the physical intimacy was something she was definitely unused to. She wrapped her arms around his neck, hands entwining into his dark hair as he continued to kiss her hungrily, nipping every contour of her mouth. When she opened her mouth slightly for breath, he slipped his tongue in again. She made a muffled noise of protest as he explored the rest of her mouth; she couldn't help but play hostage. His hands were now roaming everywhere, abandoning her back to run down the rest of her body, over her chest, her hips, under her thighs. His touch sent shivers down her spine and suddenly, she found herself being pushed back down on her bed and he climbed on top of her, hands pinning her tiny wrists to her pillow.

"Take off your shirt." He said, panting.

She blushed. "W-wait..." Her protests fell on deaf ears. To be fair, she could protest a hell lot more and he would listen. She knew he would, but somehow she was allowing him to do what he wanted anyway without much objection...

He let go of her wrists to unfasten her shirt, undoing the buttons quickly before pulling the fabric apart. Next, he pulled her vest up over her stomach and to the base of her chin and her breasts were bare before him. Heat rose to her cheeks when he merely...stared. Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Trixie tried not tremble when he placed his cold hands over her beasts before he began to massage them. Her breasts were firm under his hands, nice and supple. They fitted into his palms neatly. Biting her lip, she looked away to the side, squeezing her eyes shut.

His fingers were rough and calloused from the years of fighting and handling swords and stylized gun grips. However, the way how he touched and handled her was enough to make her mind spin. _He must have done this to a lot of girls_, she thought anxiously. The sad thoughts did not last long, however, for wetness rushed between her legs immediately and she flinched. He was fondling her nipples now, his thumbs brushing over the hardened nubs again and again before his fingers clamped against them, pinching the tightening buds.

"Mmm..." She moaned, which only caused him to grin.

Dante returned to pin her hands to the sides of her head. He had a rough grip on her wrists; the power he exerted over her was unearthly and she was sure to have bruises and marks in the morning. When he lowered his face to her chest, he took one of her nipples into his mouth and began licking and sucking on it. Her face reddened thoroughly by the act and again, she refused to watch, keeping her gaze trained on the wall. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palm, trying to find some kind of leverage as he continued to nip and suckle, bringing an unfamiliar, growing ache within her lower regions. Her legs couldn't even stay still, trembling uselessly underneath him as he held her down. She could kiss and she could hug him, but she had never wanted him or desired him to this kind of extent or manner, but the intimacy he was subjecting her to at the moment was pushing her to her limit. His tongue was hot and wet against her flesh as he dragged it over her nipple again and again, teasing her until she was bruised and sore under his mouth. His breath was warm over her skin and his lips were rough but needy. It was enough to send shivers down her spine.

He let go of one of her hands to feed her other breast into his mouth, although this time, he bit down. She jerked slightly, taken aback by the action and instinctively, her freed hand left the mattress sheets and wound itself into his hair, her fingers gripping the back of his head. "Ow..." She whimpered out, as he continued to bite at her nipple. He knew it hurt but he liked nothing but to leave behind his mark on a girl he'd claimed as his own.

"You like it..." He whispered, before he purposely bucked his hips against hers. She flushed and turned away from him again as he continued. Her heart was beating so hard against her ribs, surely he'd notice. "It's okay, Trix." He added, and she opened one eye meekly. "I'll be gentle. I won't hurt you."

She nodded shakily. _Yeah, I know. _

"Do you trust me?"

She nodded again. _I trust you. _The words couldn't seem to manifest for some reason. Finally, he lifted himself off her before he began to undress, pulling his vest over his head and tossing it carelessly to the floor somewhere. Her eyes widened slightly. _He wants more tonight. More than just kissing, groping, fondling...touching. More! I should say something._

"Dante, I – " She was cut off when he tilted her chin to him and kissed her deeply. She was senseless in a split second.

_...Maybe I want this too._

She'd seen him naked before from the shower incident, but even then she covered her eyes, refusing to look at him; now he was bare for her to see and she could truly appreciate how toned and muscular he was. His physique was perfect; there was nothing she could criticize, and she cringed, realizing she'd unintentionally ogled at him but this only caused Dante to smirk. He must be used to girls staring at him, he must bask in the attention with a smugness like no other. Trixie was not, however. Completely unused to physical intimacy or attention from the opposite sex, she wondered what Dante would think of her body (and her underwear which were definitely un-sexy). She saw many flaws with herself but she didn't want to ask him about his opinion, and her eyes widened when he began to pull his pants down his waist. This was it. This was really it. When the rest of his garments were removed, she stared and swallowed. He was naked save for his pendant, which he kept around his neck.

Dante climbed on top of her again, caging her. There was no escape; he placed his arms on either side of her head, leaning down before stopping millimeters from her face, brushing his lips over hers. She closed her eyes, trying to anticipate his movements as he kissed her – at first, he was gentle, sucking on her bottom lip teasingly before he moved to kiss her eyelids, her forehead, her temples, her jaw...He became more aggressive when he kissed her neck, biting at the skin until he left his mark. Their hands entwined but he kept her hands by the side of her head, pinning her down. Her nipples were wet from his suckling, creating a delicious, rubbing friction each time his chest moved against her. He kissed her shoulder, her collarbone, his lips trailing down between her breasts to her stomach. His teasing elicited a moan from her lips, and he moved to settle between her legs after tugging her pants and soaked panties all the way to her ankles, pulling it off one foot before he dumped it to the floor. His eyes were hooded when he looked at her, his eyes glazed with passion and lust.

_I'll be fine._ She thought, trying to be brave. It didn't prepare her for what would happen next - and a sharp gasp was ripped from her lips as suddenly there was pain in her lower region and she knew what had just happened. He'd already entered her without caution. To be fair, she didn't think he would give her much prior warning.

Already he was at it, thrusting in and out of her. It took a while until she was used to having him inside her; he filled her up completely, her walls stretching to his size. He was... big, she supposed. Thick. Her heart was racing; she couldn't help but feel scared since this was her first time, unlike Dante, who'd had several partners before her. Again, all sad thoughts, fears and doubts ebbed away as she could only really concentrate on what was happening at the moment. His rhythmic thrusts caused her to arch against him, burying the back of her head into her pillow, mouth agape with silent euphoria. She was worried Father Tam or anyone else would hear them; the walls were paper thin and her bed was rocking loudly due to Dante's movements, the bed springs creaking under the doubled weight.

Her legs were spread apart to a wide extent, all to accommodate Dante as he settled in between her, thrusting. The build up was becoming far too much. He quickened his pace slightly, pounding inside her from all possible angles, his tip hitting that sensitive spot over and over again; she whimpered as he buried his face into her neck before turning to capture her lips with his, pressing his lips against hers roughly but passionately, shoving his tongue in when she drew back for a breath. Immediately he began exploring her mouth greedily, hungrily. Dying for some kind of release, she wrapped her arms around him and sank her fingers into his flesh before letting them trail up and down over his neck, his broad shoulders and his muscled arms. Her legs kicked and flailed around slightly, messing up the sheets and it to fall off their naked, joined bodies to the floor before Dante instinctively lifted them to wrap around his waist, locking their hips together. She was very sensitive, he realized, as her tight, wet walls quivered and squeezed around him.

Lust-filled moans and groans filled the room, along with the sounds of wet skin slapping against each other and occasional squeak of the bed hinges. Her body was on fire. She didn't think she cared anymore, not with the pleasure that was accumulating between her thighs. Dante's sweat-covered body was so hot against hers, his bare chest rubbing against hers every time he thrust into her with his cock. He was so damn close it frightened her and enthralled her.

His thrusts slowed down; maybe he didn't want it to be over so soon. Now he was moving inside her at a more sensual, gradual pace which was uncharacteristic of him since he was taking his time and not being impatient as he usually was. The slower pace was nice - as it allowed him to go in deeper - but it was also torturing when it only served to put the pressure at bay, but never quite getting there. Their eyes met and he leaned in to kiss her. He murmured her name many times against her lips. Closing his eyes, he let out an agonized groan when he slid in and withdrew. She was so wet, so soaking wet, coating him with her juices, allowing him to penetrate her even deeper than before.

"Don't stop." She pleaded, taking his slow thrusts as they came.

He smirked. "I didn't plan to."

The slow pace continued.

She broke off eye contact all of a sudden and glanced to the side, "...Harder." She mumbled, a little frustrated. She clamped on him like a vice, spurning him on.

He grunted, moving in a quicker, much harsher pace. She moaned louder as the pleasure heightened, crying out as he withdrew only to plunge in mercilessly, going deeper and deeper with each slick thrust. How could this feel so good? He shoved her hips into the mattress, pounding into her furiously. Growls escaped his throat as he slaked all his lust on her. The sensation that kept building up and up between her legs finally came to an end and she was crying out his name as it consumed her, growing stronger and stronger. Allowing it to completely overwhelm her, she screamed, holding onto him tightly as he kissed and licked at her skin.

He gave one more fierce thrust into her body before he spilled himself inside her, his seed shooting into her forcefully that he had to keep his shout muffled by burying his face into her neck, his mouth at her throat. Her body was thrumming from the aftermath, and all she could do was lie over the bed to recover, panting. No-one had ever made her experience _that_ before. Brushing a hand through her damp hair, she glanced around herself before turning to Dante. He was lying over her with his eyes closed, his nose pressed against the column of her neck. He too, was breathing heavily.

They lay on the bed curled up beside each other for a few silent minutes until he crawled over her, pressing kisses down the side of her face. "Trix?"

"...Yeah?"

"I'm going to leave this place," He murmured against her mouth, before he began thrusting inside her again, "And I want you to come with me."

She was moaning all at once, mindless with lust. Hands desperately clawed at his back, nails digging into his flesh; she found herself nodding wildly in agreement as he continued his torturous movements while he spoke. She probably wasn't thinking straight at that precise moment, for all she could see and think about was Dante and how good he felt inside her. Suddenly, he was very important to her. He was all she could think about. He was holding her in his arms. He was kissing her and making love to her. She had never felt this way before and she didn't think she ever would. She didn't want the feeling to go away, ever. All these years of listening to Father Tam, adhering to the rules...or nonchalantly living an oblivious, innocent life and not even thinking twice about establishing a potential connection like this with another...had he been holding them back all this time? Who knew something like this could be so wonderful? Why did Father Tam demonize it and antagonize it?

"Oh, Dante..." She breathed out. Was it a bad thing that she didn't want him to stop?

He murmured in her ear, "Just me and you."

His words echoed.

_Just me and you..._

_...Just me and you..._

* * *

Trixie woke up with a start.

Someone was sleeping behind her, his arm draped around her waist. Dante. They were in a spooning position, because the tiny single bed didn't grant enough space for two. And in her whole entire life, she had never awoken once with someone beside her, especially a male. A naked male. She was naked too. She groaned inwardly before glancing around the room. It was bright. Morning. She checked herself; there were red, blotchy hickey marks all over her body. She checked the alarm clock next. It was seven. Gasping, she sat up in bed, covers to her chest, flinging his arm away from her in progress.

"Dante," She hissed, "Wake up."

His eyebrows furrowed as he stirred slightly, but he didn't seem to show any intent on getting up.

A barrage of thoughts raced through her mind: _It's morning! It's seven am! He stayed here all night! Dante needs to leave! Someone might see! Someone might check up on him and notice that he's away from his room. Heck, someone could check up on me and see Dante, naked, in my room! This can't be happening!_

When she realized he was still not waking up, she resorted to tugging at his arm, "Come on, wake up." She said as she tugged at his arm, making it weave up and down, left and right. She tugged him enough that he moved an inch on her bed; finally, Dante opened his eyes and pulled her down to lie beside him. She wiggled in protest when her face went flat against his rigid chest.

"Mornin' already?" He grunted as he wrapped his arm around the back of her neck.

She jerked herself free, poking her head out of his embrace. "Yeah."

"Mm..." He let out a yawn before he drew her close for a kiss.

Suddenly, the gravity of what they'd just did hit Trixie like a harsh slap across the face. She began to panic when he let go and she sat up again. This time, Dante got up beside her too and she saw the nail marks all over his shoulders and back and her eyes widened for she didn't think she would've been capable of doing _that_. Blushing, and feeling inexplicably sick to her stomach, she pulled the covers and wrapped herself in them.

"Pass me my clothes."

Without looking at him, Trixie picked up his boxers and pants off the floor whilst huddling under the duvet which was wrapped over her head; she handed the clothes to him and felt him take them off her before he began to dress himself. Occasionally, he would glance at her and grin. She would turn away and hide under the covers. When he had put on his boxers and pants, he moved off the bed to stand, grabbed his vest off the floor and slung it over his shoulder.

And then came the awkward silence.

Trixie continued glancing at the floor morosely whilst Dante stood at the end of her bed. "...Hey." He said, "Trix. Look at me."

She tried to look at him but failed miserably. She was too embarrassed. She let out a shaking hand to grab her discarded vest and panties on the floor. To her surprise, they had been completely ripped apart.

"You regret it?"

Trixie glanced to the side, biting her lip. "...No."

"Then you wanna do it again?" He said.

His comment made her whip her head to him in shock. "Again?"

"Yeah. How about tonight?"

"T-t-t-t-tonight?!"

"Yeah."

She shifted slightly, cheeks reddening. "Um...maybe not tonight..."

"Why not?"

"I'm...kinda...sore."

"Fine, tomorrow then." Before she could reply, he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, before kissing her fully on the lips. He pulled away after a few minutes then sauntered to the door, unlocked it and stepped out before closing it behind him.

There was someone in the hallway, standing at their door.  
It was Becky.

"What the fuck are you looking at?" Dante snarled, when he noticed that she was staring at him wide-eyed.

She hastily returned to her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

**LATER**

Becky saw Trixie at the pantry with a large hamper by her side. It appeared she was doing some washing even though today wasn't a laundry day. "Trixie? What are you doing?" She asked.

"Hm? Oh, n-nothing." She said quickly, as she stuffed the bedsheets into the washing machine. "Just doing some laundry."

"...I saw Dante leave your room this morning. He was barely dressed."

"Huh? O-oh, yeah, I, er...I woke up to go to the bathroom, then when I came back, I saw this huge massive spider on my wall. Dante was up so I asked him to come inside and take care of it for me."

She wasn't her most closest friend for nothing. Trixie was a horrible liar and Becky stared with an eyebrow raised; never had she heard Trixie lie before in her entire life. She looked at the sheets in Trixie's hands, and saw that the middle section of the sheet had a splodge of dried blood and what looked like a white substance on it. Becky raised another eyebrow and turned away. "I'm not an idiot, you know." She said, "Did you guys even use a condom?"

"W-what?!" Trixie spluttered; she couldn't remember. They probably didn't. She began to panic all over again. "What are you – "

"If you want to continue whatever it is you have with Dante, then fine by me. But don't use me like that ever again."

Trixie lowered the sheets in her hands, "...What do you mean? I...I didn't use you."

"You asked me to cover for you yesterday so you could go off with Dante."

"T-that was a favor."

"It doesn't matter. You're not like this. You've changed." Becky added, "I noticed. You've changed since Dante moved in. I hardly see you around anymore and we don't hang out as much. He's always with you, you always seem to listen to him and I don't know what you guys get up to. Don't fall for it. He's rude, he has no respect for anyone, he's violent, aggressive...He has no education, he's got a criminal record. Why are you even bothering with a guy like him? You could do so much better. He's a terrible person."

"Dante is not a terrible person." Trixie retorted, "Becky, I'm sorry, please don't be angry."

"Too late."

"...Are you going to tell Father Tam?"

"No. I'm not one to snitch. Oh, and by the way, did you remember that we were meant to go to the cinema today? To watch that movie I've waited to see for a long time?"

"...Oh, th-that was today? Dante and I are..."

Becky frowned at her. "It's fine; I'll go with someone else since you've already made plans. You can go back to fucking Dante's brains out in your bedroom, you slut." She snapped, before she promptly marched out of the pantry.

Trixie was left standing in muted shock.


	10. One Door Closes, Another One Opens

Yep, my chapters are definitely becoming longer and longer.

Yahoooo! It's chapter 10! I didn't think it would happen but it is! You guys are making this happen! :) I changed the cover of this fic too! If you are reading this...that's good, because I was worried chapter 9 would turn everyone off this story. Again, thanks to the guests, starrat, Blacktiger93, Bulmathedragon, DeadlyVampire-Daydream Corp, FallenSora233, Pheumonia, guest1 and just a guest for reviewing. As mentioned in the previous chapter note, there was a reason the lemon happened so early and yes, it was deliberate because it's all part of Trixie's corruption or 'downfall' lol, and in this chapter, Dante and Trixe have...the Talk. Yep, The Talk. And some of you have mentioned Trixie potentially having a Tiny Dante growing inside her and stuff but this is not a babyfic, sorry; my Star Trek fic is a baby fic. If you're interested you can check that out but this is definitely not a babyfic. I'm also not on a roll anymore; my chapters are taking a bit longer to update. Sorry :(

Anyways, read and review!

* * *

**ONE DOOR CLOSES, ANOTHER ONE OPENS**

**(aka BREAKING BAD)**

"You asked me to cover for you yesterday so you could go off with Dante."

"T-that was a favor."

He was walking down the hallway to the stairs when he came across an interesting conversation. Stopping in mid-way, Dante followed the source of the voices only to see two familiar girls standing inside the pantry – Trixie and her retarded friend – although this time it appeared they were having an argument. He was at the corridor leading to the tiny room but it seemed they hadn't noticed him; he didn't want to eavesdrop but it couldn't be helped; they _were_ talking rather loudly...

"It doesn't matter. You're not like this. You've changed." said the retarded friend, "I noticed. You've changed since Dante moved in. I hardly see you around anymore and we don't hang out as much. He's always with you, you always seem to listen to him and I don't know what you guys get up to. Don't fall for it. He's rude, he has no respect for anyone, he's violent, aggressive...He has no education, he's got a criminal record. Why are you even bothering with a guy like him? You could do so much better. He's a terrible person."

"Dante is not a terrible person." Now he could hear Trixie's voice, "Becky, I'm sorry, please don't be angry."

"Too late."

"...Are you going to tell Father Tam?"

"No. I'm not one to snitch. Oh, and by the way, did you remember that we were meant to go to the cinema today? To watch that movie I've waited to see for a long time?"

"...Oh, th-that was today? Dante and I are..."

"It's fine. I'll go with someone else since you've already made plans. You can go back to fucking Dante's brains out in your bedroom, you slut."

He heard footsteps coming his way. He wondered if he should confront the retard for speaking to Trixie like that. The decision did not come since the retard spotted and stared at him in shock as she usually did, but no sooner had she seen him her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" She demanded, irritated.

"Who the fuck said you could talk to her like that?" He snarled, and from the corner of his eye, he saw Trixie dumping the rest of the sheets into the washing machine before marching away. Maybe he should go after her. Instinctively he wanted to grab the retard by the front of the shirt and punch her, maybe in the nose or eye. However, due to his morals, he swore that he would never hurt a female, so he merely jabbed a finger at her direction and growled out, "From now on, you stay the fuck away from her. If I see you talking to her like that again, I swear to god I'll break your fucking legs."

"Fuck you!" She spat.

"Fuck you!" He yelled in response.

After flinging more endless abuse and spiteful comments at each other, he turned away and stormed after Trixie. He could see her making a beeline down the corridor and he called after her but she didn't turn around. Cursing, he jogged up to her quickly and seized her by the wrist. He spun her round and before she could protest, he wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could. Although initially taken aback by his gesture, he felt her relax under his hold after a few seconds until she returned his embrace, her arms slowly wrapping around his waist.

"S'okay..." He murmured as he squeezed her tightly, kissed her forehead and nuzzled her affectionately, "I got you."

"Oh, Dante." She squeaked out, and when he pulled back, she was staring morosely at the ground. Her mouth moved slightly but no words came out then. She tried again and finally, she added, "...Becky called me a-a..."

"Yeah, I know."

"You heard?"

"...Yeah."

"Oh." Her cheeks went pink.

"Are you crying?"

She shook her head. "No." It would take more than that to make her shed tears. "Dante, I...I have to go to school; I'll see you when I come back."

"Don't go." He said, giving her a squeeze, "Why don't we go somewhere?"

"I can't." She said, shaking her head. "I'm sorry."

Dante let go of her after a few seconds, "Yeah. Okay. See ya." He muttered, before he turned and walked away, shoving his hands into his pockets.

She watched his retreating back miserably. _Maybe I should've accepted his offer..._

* * *

**LATER**

_Urgh, I regret this so much. Going to school really was a bad idea_, she thought to herself. It was indeed, probably a very bad idea, because she wasn't in a very good mood. Despite earlier reassurance from Dante, she was now feeling very out of place. In fact, she felt very alone and unhappy.

_...Becky called me a slut._

_Slut.__  
__Slut.__  
__Slut!_

The word echoed in her mind as she trotted down the school hallway with her bag swinging over her shoulder. She anxiously glanced from left and right, noticing that she seemed to be subjected to a lot of stares from her fellow students.

_Why is everyone looking at me like that? Stop looking at me like that! Oh my god, do they know what I did? Did Becky tell someone? No, she couldn't have...Or-or did she? Would she? Did Dante say something? No, he couldn't have, he's not even at school. Gasp! What if he already has made some friends at school and he's told them all and now they've told everybody and -_

While wild thoughts ran amok, she stopped at her locker and saw that Becky was already there, shoving her books into the cramped space. "Morning, Beck – " Before she could finish her sentence, Becky slammed the locker shut and stormed away from her. She hurried after her abruptly, leaving her locker half-open and a few jotters to drop to the floor, "Becky, wait!"

Trixie rushed up to her, stopping her by grabbing her arm only for Becky to pull away, "Leave me alone, Trixie, I have nothing to say to you."

"Becky, I already said I'm sorry. Just hear me out."

Becky frowned in response and continued to tug her arm free from Trixie's grasp, "Does it look like I care? Obviously you don't need me anymore since you've got Dante and he's more important to you than I am."

Trixie watched her, her lip wobbling slightly. "That's not true."

"We've been friends for years and suddenly it's like I don't know you; you've become a totally different person."

She bit her lip, "Yes, we've been friends for a long time. You know me better than anyone else, so why are you acting this way?"

"Me? You're asking ME why I'm 'acting' this way? Why don't you ask yourself that question?"

"So what if I like Dante? Why can't I like him?"

"Because he's a bad person and you don't know Dante like you know me. You don't know anything about him!"

"He is not a bad person! Stop being unreasonable!"

"How am I being unreasonable?"

"Because you're not listening to what I'm saying!"

"Fine, go on then. I'm listening." With that, Becky crossed her arms over her chest, waiting.

Trixie faltered slightly, "...Look, Becky, I'm sorry about the way how I've been treating you for the past few days," She said; however, inwardly she debated as to _why _she was apologizing as she didn't feel like she had done anything wrong, "But it's exactly as you said, we've been friends a long time, you're my best friend, my most closest friend, you're like my sister and at the moment, I don't want us to fall out just because of...of Dante. He isn't a horrible person. He has reasons for the way he acts and the way he talks. I've gotten to know him a lot better since he arrived and I've seen a different side to him. I know he can be rude, but deep down he's a really caring person and maybe if you got to know him better maybe you'll see that too."

"No thanks. That guy hates me with a passion, like I wronged him in a past life or something." Becky said, "It's really simple, Trixie. If you continue seeing him, I'm no longer going to be your friend. I don't want anything to do with you."

"W...what...?!" She exclaimed, horrified.

"From now on, you and Dante...just stay away from me, okay? You two are nothing but trouble."

_What is she saying?!_ As Trixie stared at her in shock, Becky spun on her heel and walked away, leaving her on her lonesome in the hallway. Trixie called after her once more but she was ignored. Again, a few students nearby were staring at her and whispering to each other as they witnessed the interesting interaction. She tried to ignore it yet she couldn't help but feel downright miserable. Trixie gathered the rest of her belongings and headed towards the direction of her classroom on her own.

...

Lunchtime was no better.

She couldn't concentrate during classes. At first, she was very sad, very upset to have had that conversation with Becky at the hallway. Now she was furious with Becky. She wanted to go home; she didn't want to be here anymore. In fact, she wanted to be anywhere but here. Trixie arrived at the canteen only to receive more unfriendly and somewhat hostile stares from almost every student she passed. Even those who walked past her carrying food on their trays were watching her every move.

_Either I'm being paranoid or people are definitely staring at me. What are they looking at?! Why are they looking at me like that?! Urgh, god! I can't take this anymore! What is their problem?! If they have something to say then come up and say it to my face!_

She spotted Becky in one corner and did not think twice to approach. Maybe Becky needed some time on her own. If she went over, it might anger Becky again; Trixie, at first, wanted to try and apologize after school. Those feelings and thoughts ebbed away the more she contemplated the way how Becky had spoken to her. It was unacceptable and she was appalled she had allowed herself to be spoken to like that. Growling inwardly at the helpless, awkward and downright hairy situation, Trixie went to find a seat only to be approached by a familiar tall, blond girl.

Mikaela Malone.

At first, Trixie didn't know what to do, thus an awkward period of silence commenced between the two girls before Trixie inevitably tried to squeeze past her once no words were exchanged. However, Mikaela suddenly grabbed her by the arm and returned her to her previous spot. "What is it?" Trixie said. Usually, Mikaela frightened her as she loomed over her a great deal due to those ridiculous high heels of hers. The girl had always been intimidating, with her bleached hair, massive eyelashes, fake tan and tight clothes revealing her 'assets'. At the precise moment Trixie was far too agitated to notice any of the sort and suddenly Mikaela was no longer intimidating or frightening at all.

"I haven't heard from Dante." said the blond, flipping her hair over one shoulder whilst crossing her arms over her plump chest that her breasts almost spilled out of her tiny top.

Trixie blinked blankly in response. "...Excuse me?"

"Someone told me they saw him with you at the pier." Mikaela snarled at her, before she unfurled one arm and proceeded to jab one long, red pointed fingernail at Trixie's direction accusingly. "Dante's mine, you got that?"

And Trixie said, "I thought you and Chad were going out?"

"Who I date is none of your business. But Dante and I, we're special; we have something going on, and I saw him first, so stay the fuck away from him because he's MINE, understand?"

For a moment, another silence spawned between the two girls. The canteen had also gone quiet. All eyes were on them both. _I wonder what Dante would do at a time like this? He'd probably throw some cheeky remark. Too bad I got nothing..._ She thought to herself morosely. Not wanting trouble, Trixie tried to walk past her but once again, Mikaela grabbed her... although this time, she grabbed Trixie by the shoulder and also managed to tug onto the locket chain around her neck and Trixie went rounding backwards. "Owww..." She choked out, as the chain went taut around her throat.

"Shut it, you little cunt," Mikaela snarled, as she let go of the chain and Trixie was left to rub at her neck, "Where do you think you're going anyway? I'm not done with you yet!"

Trixie stood very still on her spot, staring at Mikaela wordlessly. _Did she just call me what I think she just did?_

The blond continued sneering at her, her lips tugged into a wide smirk.

She didn't expect Trixie's clenched fist to slam into her face.

* * *

A loud knock on her door made her look up from the first aid kit that was splayed open on her bed.

"Trix. Open up."

She tensed all over as she quickly dabbed at a cut with some pink ointment before slapping a plaster on. It was Dante. She was too scared to open the door; she didn't want to see him, not like this anyway. She wouldn't know what to say, what to do. Surely he must've found out what happened at school since she'd been sent home early.

"I know you're in there, Trix."

"Go away." She said, although she had stammered a little.

Outside, there was silence. Trixie glanced to the door a few moments later, pondering if he'd left. She slid off the bed, rubbing at her eyes, then waddled to her door and unlocked it. When she opened the door to see that Dante was still standing there at her doorway she desperately tried to close the door again. He stopped her with a flat palm on the door before he kicked it open violently. Trixie let go and the door swung helplessly on its hinges. He stormed inside, making her step backwards as he slammed the door shut behind him. They stood in silence for a while. He was staring at her intently and Trixie rubbed at the back of her arm, unable to meet his eye.

"What happened?" He asked.

He was met with silence.

"Trix, answer me."

She shook her head. _I can't do it! I can't look at him in the eye anymore!_

Dante went to her side and grabbed her wrist, forcing her to turn to him. "Trix. Come on." He made her look at him and finally, she anxiously swerved her eyes to him.

"...I was fighting." She mumbled out despondently, "With Mikaela Malone."

He gazed at her bruised eye, the burst lip, the scratches on the side of her face, along with a few missing patches of hair...then he promptly burst into laughter and she frowned.

"It's not funny." She retorted. _I almost forgot about what he did with Mikaela in the bathroom...How am I supposed to get over that? Am I supposed to? If I don't, does that make me a terrible person?_

"What happened?" He asked again.

"...I had the worst day at school; everyone keeps staring at me as if they know something I don't, or-or as if they know what we did. I'm in pain. I feel horrible, and Father Tam is at school, sorting it all out for me. Oh, I don't know why I was...I mean, something just...snapped, I guess. Something inside me just snapped. I was so angry, I don't want to be walked over all the time and I didn't like the way how she was speaking to me because I wasn't born into this world to be treated like this and to be miserable and oh my god, I punched Mikaela in the nose, and everyone knows it's made out of plastic, right? So I think I broke it because I heard this loud 'crack' and then her nose kinda went to one side, and I know this is really terrible for me to say but...but it actually felt good." She added, sniffling slightly, as though her additional comments would change the situation.

"Felt good, huh?" He said, before his lips widened into a smirk.

"Yeah. You're grinning. Why are you grinning? You're not going to yell at me or...?"

Dante merely drew her close to him and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing at her bruises affectionately although this actually made her wince. Unlike Dante, she didn't have any magical healing power to make it all go away. She would be suffering from these bruises and cuts for days. Weeks, even. He didn't ask why she was fighting with Mikaela in the first place so she thought he may have had a rough idea as to why she was involved in a fight the first place. "Nope," He said nonchalantly, "Sounds like you did the right thing to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She was asking for it."

Trixie didn't think it was possible but she felt relieved he had said that. It was reassuring to know he was on her side. However, there was still something else that bothered her. "Becky." She croaked out, "It's official."

"What is?"

"...I've officially fallen out with Becky."

"About time."

"You don't understand. She's my closest friend."

"Get a new one. There are plenty of those around if you look in the right place." He said, "Friends come and go, Trix."

She contemplated his words. "You know what? You're right. I'm better off without her. We've been friends for such a long time and suddenly she's acting like a pain in the butt. Her behavior is completely inexcusable," She muttered; however, she frowned, "...But still, she said some things."

"What kind of things?"

"Well... She...she criticized us, criticized me...made me feel like I'm a horrible, selfish person. Like...just because you're here, I stopped caring for her or treating her like a friend. It made me feel like no-one wants us to be together, that this is some kind of big mistake."

And she felt him stiffen slightly in response to her statement. He pulled away from her, holding her at arm's length. Staring into her eyes intently, he said stoically, "...Do you? You think this is a mistake?"

"No."

"Then why are you saying these things? Why are you listening to that dumbass? Why are you letting her affect you?"

"Because some things Becky said...they're right. I don't think this is a mistake, but I do know for a fact that I don't know anything about you. You haven't been here for long. We totally took things way too far, especially in such a short span of time. Usually people go from A to B then to C, you know, taking things slowly, one thing at a time, but we jumped from A and all the way to Z and clearly that wasn't the right thing to do."

He watched her carefully. Had she really used the alphabet as a metaphor to describe their situation?

She added, "I can't even remember if you used a condom."

Dante placed his hands on her shoulders, "Trix, I don't know anything about myself. I had meningitis when I was seven and lost all my memory. I started off in St Lamia's only to find out that it was run by demons so I escaped. I moved from place to place and now I'm here. That's all you're gonna get. I don't care how other people do it; I guess we're gonna go fast." He said, "And no, I didn't use a condom."

She swallowed down the lump in her throat, trying not to falter by the fact that he'd admitted not using any means of birth control. Should she even bring up the word 'baby' to his face? Probably not. She would go and get a test later on her own... "Meningitis." She murmured under her breath, "You didn't tell me about that before."

"You never asked."

"Okay, so you're telling me...the way you are now, with Limbo and the demons...That's really everything about you so far?"

"I've told you everything. What else do you want from me?" Now he was beginning to sound angry and she began to grow nervous; she didn't want to fight with Dante, too. He added, "I don't know anything about you either."

"I was found dumped in an alleyway wrapped up in newspaper."

His expression softened slightly, "Damn. That's harsh."

"Yeah, I think so too."

"You think we skipped that part, right? Where we tell each other things...go on dates, feed each other food and wear matching t-shirts with each other's names on it, and do other stupid couple stuff."

"Isn't that what normal people do?"

He gave her a look. "Normal people don't know that demons exist."

"Yeah...I guess you're not exactly 'normal'. I don't mean that in a bad way, I just mean it by...you know, the demons after you and stuff."

"...Do you regret it?"

"You've asked me that already."

"I'm asking again." Dante said sternly, and when she fell silent, he glanced away to the side and withdrew his hands, his palms sliding away from her shoulders. "...I knew it. You do regret it. You just didn't say it. Why? Were you scared?"

"No, I wasn't scared and I don't regret it."

"Then what is it? What's the problem?"

"I don't know. I...I can't think properly right now. My mind's all jumbled up."

"Okay, so what do you wanna do? You...You wanna take a break? Is this all too much for you to handle? Too much over your head? Okay. Fine. I'll do you a favor and go away. You won't see me around. You can have some time to...I dunno, think about this." He let go of her, brushed past her and marched towards her bedroom door, opening it with a rough jerk on the handle.

"Dante, wait!" She rushed up to him, grabbing his arm once she stopped by his side, "No, that's not what I meant. This is not what I wanted." She was suddenly scared that if he walked out of her door, she would no longer see him ever again. She remembered he mentioned that he wanted to leave this place; if she let him go, she earnestly believed that he would leave and never come back. Maybe he would move on and find another girl. Would she get a second chance? She wasn't sure...

"Then what do you want, Trix?" He asked, turning to her. "Tell me."

Their eyes met; every time she looked at him, she would always find herself lost in those blue-gray eyes of his. Despite how tough and aggressive everyone claimed him to be and how he acted, his eyes were always so soft and gentle. Or at least, whenever he looked at her, she had never seen so much longing and want. It clashed with his persona completely and she felt as though only she was the only one who was able to see this side of him.

"You." She murmured quietly under her breath, "I just want you."

Again, those clear blue-gray eyes searched her face for any sign of hesitation or uncertainty, searching for any mendacity to her statement. There was none; she reached for his large hand and squeezed it tightly, her little fingers wrapped around his, trying to elicit some kind of response when she noticed that he was merely watching her, motionless, as though her words had taken him aback completely. She didn't want to say it, but she had always thought that he would always be testing her whenever these kinds of situations arose, as though he was testing her faithfulness and loyalty to him. Maybe in the past he'd been let down or abandoned by people he placed trust in. Maybe there had been someone before her who he cared for a lot who had disappointed him. However, when he suddenly leaned forwards and cupped her face with his hand before he crashed his lips onto hers, she wasn't surprised. His hand had wound itself around the back of her head, pressing her face close to his and she melted into the kiss. She let go of his other hand so he could snake it around her waist, whilst she wrapped her arms around him tightly in return.

He pulled away, lips by her ear, "...I want you too."

She smiled widely at him as he held her close to him. His body was very strong and sturdy, and she could feel his muscles underneath his vest. Dante smelled of cologne, gunpowder and cigarette smoke; a strange but alluring combination.

"C'mon, let's go to my room." He took her hand in his and they exited Trixie's room, closing the door and locking it. Then they headed towards the direction of his room and he locked the door also, then he let her stand at the side for the time being since she appeared stuck in her own little bubble of thoughts. His room was a mess; his sheets hadn't been done so he quickly grabbed them by two corners and straightened them out slightly before he took her hand again and guided her towards the bed.

He stretched over the mattress and pulled her to lie on top of him with her face resting against his chest. It went silent and he glanced down at her. Trixie had too many thoughts in her mind to respond; she didn't seem to be in a talking mood. She liked how Dante was trying to cheer her up (...or at least, was trying to make her feel better). Trixie lay over him, unmoving and silent, before she slowly closed her eyes.

And after what seemed to be a long time, Trixie re-opened her eyes and the room was dark. A few hours must have passed. Somehow she'd wriggled out of his arms and was now lying on her side; Dante had his arm wrapped around her waist tightly and they were facing each other on the bed. They must've deviated towards each other.

She suddenly remembered: _I didn't go with Becky to the cinema after all_, she thought. Trixie didn't really have plans; she just had this...whatever this was. Chilling out with Dante, she supposed. She realized it was a lot better than sitting down and eating popcorn in the dark for an hour and a half. Maybe more. She believed he was sleeping, since he hadn't stirred or said a word since.

The orphanage was situated away from the main traffic of Limbo City so they had been undisturbed in their nap; in fact, she didn't recall being able to hear any of the traffic outside or other noises. Trixie rubbed her face against his chest and squeezed her arms around him before the tip of her nose touched his pendant; she glanced at the red jewel before her. It felt cool to touch and when she reached out for it, the jewel glowed brightly under her hands and flickered in the darkness. To her, it almost felt...alive.

"...What are you doing?" He muttered, his eyes still closed.

"Nothing. I thought you were asleep?"

"Nope."

Trixie swerved her gaze to the side. "Um...Dante?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad we met."

His lips curled into a smile before he proceeded to tighten his arm around her waist and this time; he crawled over her so she was underneath him and when he began planting kisses over the side of her face, she couldn't help but smile. Suddenly, there were loud footsteps echoing outside in the hall and –

"_Beatrice?"_

It was Father Tam. They could hear his voice, which was muffled; it appeared he was outside Trixie's door, and they could hear him knocking. Her eyes widened and she huddled closer to Dante. "He doesn't know I'm in here."

Tam continued yelling. "_Beatrice? Are you there? I need to talk to you about what happened at school today_."

A wide grin appeared on Dante's face. "Hey." He said, "Let's sneak out. We shouldn't stay here."

She turned to him in surprise, "Go out? Where can we go at this time? It's really late."

"I know a place."

In response, Trixie pouted slightly. "...But I look awful."

"You look fine. I'll take you somewhere fun."

"Fun? You mean the _Pizza Parlor_? Ohh, well...okay, let's try the Hammy Pizza this time. I heard raving reviews about that one."

"No, I'm gonna take you somewhere even better." He replied, before he got up from the bed as quietly as he could, pulling the covers off him. He went to the window and eased it open, then began to climb out.

Her eyes widened. "Dante..."

"Come on, I got you." He said quietly; he held his hand out and she watched him anxiously.

And outside, Trixie could hear Tam trying the door knob; she could hear it rattling furiously, his fist pounding on her closed, locked door. "_Beatrice?! Beatrice, open the door right now!_"

His tone was scary. She had never heard Father Tam raise his voice before in such a manner. She didn't think twice and she accepted Dante's hand and he slipped outside the window. "Hold on tight." He muttered, and she nodded as he carried her on his back. She held on as he balanced on the second-storey ledge before leaping off. She closed her eyes and when he landed, she meekly re-opened them. They were safe; the height hadn't fazed him at all. Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded, "Yeah. Are you?"

"Yep." Dante replied, and as he let her down, he grinned at her. Trixie beamed at him in response and together, hand in hand, they made their way down the dark, quiet streets of Limbo City.


	11. Good Girl Gone Bad

Thanks for clicking on the next chapter of this fic! There's a short lemon/smutty/PWP bit in this chapter so again if it makes you uncomfortable, scroll away! This chapter is kind of filler-ish since it's just to show some more Dante-Trixie bonding and not so much plot. So yeah PWP.

Enjoy :)

* * *

**GOOD GIRL GONE BAD**

Shen entered the office only to see Mr Sullivan seated at his desk with his phone pressed against his ear.

"What do you mean the deal's off?!" Sullivan was barking down the phone, "Kyle Ryder's offered you a - wait, wait, hold up, but we discussed this, Dolarhyde! We discussed this with each other in - no, you can't just decline! You can't back out! We had a deal! We had a motherfucking sweet deal put down on paper - listen to me, you can't...you can't let him _intimidate_ you, okay? Me and you, we can take him on! If we put together everything we have then surely we can - Listen! My firm is - _Hello?_ HELLO?" Mr Sullivan proceeded to slam the retriever down once the dial tone went dead. The person on the other end had hung up on him. He slammed the phone down with so much force the cord went swinging. "Fuck! Fuck! _FUCK_!"

"What has happened, Mr Sullivan?" Shen said calmly as he walked up to his desk, carrying a tray with a coffeepot and a small cup on it, gazing at Sullivan as he continued swearing and cursing. He settled the tray down over the surface but Sullivan did not touch it.

Sullivan whipped his head up and stood up in his seat. "What's happened? I'll tell you exactly what's happened! _Kyle Ryder,_ that son of a bitch...he's got to another one of my investors again!"

"Dolarhyde, was it?"

"Yes! I don't know how he does it - he's probably holding their families at gunpoint or whatever the fuck it is - but I'll make sure that son of a bitch will regret crossing paths with me." He growled, "And where the fuck is Dante? I thought you said we'd have the little bastard by now!?"

"Patience, Mr Sullivan...patience..." The demon crooned before his lips widened into a grin, revealing rows of sharp, jagged fangs.

"Well, I can't afford to wait any longer!" Sullivan barked, before he kicked at his chair, making it go swinging to the side. Shen watched on with amusement as the human's tantrum continued, "If this continues I won't have anything left!"

"It'll be soon, Mr Sullivan." Shen replied, before he made a bow and turned away, exiting the office.

Sullivan could only watch helplessly.

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

He'd taken her to _Devil's Dalliance_, a club on the opposite side of Bellevue Pier. Trixie stared at the metal door which was covered in heavy graffiti and old posters, watching uneasily as Dante broke his way in, since the bouncer at the front probably wouldn't have let them inside. Anxiously, Trixie trailed after him once he'd wedged the lock open and they slipped inside, unseen. Muffled but heavy, techno music could be heard as they made their way down the corridor that led to the club's interior. She didn't even hear a proper tune; to her ears it was just a thumping, eardrum-assaulting racket. Dante arrived at another door, which had a doorknob that was wrapped around in chains, and he opened it with a hefty kick. It swung open and the volume of the music increased dramatically.

Trixie peered inside and her eyes widened instantly. _What is this place?_

Before her was a massive dancefloor lit up by dark purple light. White lights flashed occasionally like laser beams from an unknown source somewhere in the ceiling, bathing the dancers within the establishment in a white glow. A large, elaborate statue of a goddess with two pairs of limbs was the focal point of the club. Her jaw almost dropped to the floor when she also saw women dressed in nothing but white lingerie with angel wings affixed to their back dancing around poles.

Dante turned to her with a grin. His mouth moved but she didn't hear. The music was booming. "WHAT?" She shouted above the music. He spoke again but she still did not hear. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU, THE MUSIC'S TOO LOUD."

Trixie watched him let out a frustrated growl before he grabbed her hand and led her into the dancefloor.

"Wait, what if we get caught? We're not even old enough to be here."

Dante shrugged. "I've been here before," he said (she heard that), "Nobody cares. We can do whatever we want."

She groaned inwardly in response. She couldn't help but feel downright out of her comfort zone as he led her into the large dancefloor before he was waved over by a familiar figure who was seated in one of the booths. Trixie recognized him to be one of the teenagers from the basketball court the other day. Ah yes, _Dante's friends_.

"Yo, Dante, over here." said the boy, waving them over casually. He was not alone for there were at least the other members of Dante's 'basketball team' from the other day along with their...girlfriends? That was the feeling Trixie got when she saw that they were all huddled together and at least every male in the group had his arm draped around the corresponding female who sat beside them. The table was packed; there were at least three other males with their girlfriends; they were attractive girls dressed in outlandish clothing – perhaps of Mikaela's sort - with their tiny tops and shorts that disappeared up their butts; however, these girls gave a wholly different demeanor. Whilst Mikaela was downright mean but flirty, these girls had their hair dyed, their lips or noses pierced, seductive tattoos all over the length of their arm and legs and bellies. Nonetheless, Trixie was intimidated as she stood in her lint-covered shirt and skirt.

Oblivious to her unease, Dante grinned and went over, clutching her hand tightly. She followed him nervously as they stopped in front of the table, in which the surface was covered entirely by numerous alcoholic beverages, glasses and ashtrays filled to the brim with cigarette ashes. "Hey, Tico. S'up?" Dante greeted him with a high-five. The boy – Tico - didn't seem any older than herself or Dante, dressed in a black vest and tracksuit bottoms with a cap fitted atop his head, lopsided. She didn't find it surprising Dante would mesh with them; they even dressed alike. But how on earth did they all manage to sneak in?

Tico was patting Dante's back vigorously, "Hey, yo crazy mothafucka, whatcha' doin' here? Is it just you two? Awright, get in here, Ima introduce you to the rest of the crew," He said, before he turned to the rest of his group, "Yo, everyone, this is Dante, remembuh? And this here is Dante's bird."

She cringed at her introduction whilst the boy gestured to her.

"Aww, yeah," spoke another boy in the corner; he was dressed in an overly-large gray hoodie and matching baggy pants with a cap atop his head. Around his neck was a massive gold chain and squiggly words in fancy format; she saw that the word was 'The Bear' but overall, the entire concession was absurdly ungainly to look at. Despite how dark the club was, the boy was wearing sunglasses. "Hey Dante, how's it shakin'? Yo wassup, my man?"

"S'up? Why don't y'all pull up a seat and hang wit' us." said another; on his neck there was a tattoo that said 'Rocket Dog', spelled with two D's.

Tico was now yelling at a boy who was slumped over the table in one corner, "Hey, Big Al? Big Al! Dante's here! You still wi' us? Man, you hopeless. Already doped up and shit after one drink. Les' just forget 'bout him." Turning to Dante, he added, "You remembuh The Bear, R-Dogg, Suzie and Nat, aight?"

"Yeah, I remember." Dante replied coolly.

The rest of the crew began to make room for Dante and Trixie with one of the girls – it was either Suzie or Nat - moving up a notch for Trixie to sit down, "Why don't you sit here beside me?" said the girl, patting the space with a wink.

Trixie stared at the girl who had greeted her and squeaked out a reply. They seemed friendly. Whilst Dante sat opposite her, Trixie found herself seated upon the very edge of the seat to her left with the girl on her right.

"You got a name or are we gonna keep callin' ya Dante's Bird?" said Tico.

Trixie stiffened; he was talking to her. Immediately, she began spluttering, "Um...er...emm...I'm...uh..."

As she stammered and babbled, the boy with the tattoo on his neck nudged Dante using his elbow, "S'up with your bird, Dante? Man, you should leave her in a bowling alley or somethin'."

Whilst the group laughed and joked, Trixie shrunk into her seat.

"Hey." Dante said, turning to her. "C'mon, Trix, you have to loosen up. Just relax. Have fun."

She nodded weakly. "Y-yeah..." How could she tell him that she felt uncomfortable in this kind of situation? What was she supposed to say to them? She wasn't sure. What was she supposed to do? She wasn't sure, either. It was obvious she didn't fit in with them.

In fact, the rest of the club's patrons didn't even seem to have noticed her and how uncomfortable she looked. She glanced around her surroundings whilst Dante joked and laughed along with his friends, grabbing beer bottles and downing it in gulps; Trixie could see that some people were dancing on their own or in groups with their friends, and then there were couples. She was too embarrassed to look at the couples. It didn't even look like they were dancing but as though they were doing something _questionable_. She felt odd and out of place here. She was at a nightclub! She found that the music was too loud, hammering and pounding like a drum in her head that it actually hurt. There were too many people; she felt like there was no space and that she couldn't breathe. It was too hot. She didn't even know what she was supposed to do.

And whilst the group laughed and played drinking games and recounted hilarious, but somewhat cringing stories of experiences from their daily lives, Trixie merely smiled along nervously and nodded.

"Hey, Trix."

She turned to Dante. "Yeah?"

He nudged a tall glass towards her direction; she couldn't even determine what color it was due to the lighting of the club. Was it stupid if she had really hoped that it was possibly a coke? He said, "Try some."

She eyed the glass that was for her taking.

The other members of the group began to cheer her on. "Yaaah, c'mon, Dante's Bird. You gotta loosen up...that's why you're here, aight." said The Bear.

And Rocket Dogg said, "Yeah, just have some; it'll make ya feel real good. Make ya forget yo' worries."

Trixie glanced around the table; so this was what peer pressure felt like. Dante watched her sniff the glass suspiciously; the smell was undoubtedly strong and it was definitely not coke. As Dante downed his own glass, Trixie hesitantly and nervously put the glass to her lips and drank a few gulps. The liquid burned the back of her throat as it sloshed down her gullet and she gagged, moving the glass away from her mouth immediately.

Whilst the group cheered, she croaked out, "Eurgh...it's really bitter."

"You get used to it." Dante replied.

"Is this a beer or something?"

"Yeah, somethin' like that."

Oh goodie, she didn't even know what it was. Trixie held the glass limply in hand as Dante finished his own glass in seconds. He moved to another glass and in no more than five minutes, he had finished that glass, too. "Uh...should you really be drinking so much?" She asked, with an eyebrow raised.

He laughed as he proceeded to light up a cigarette, inhaling a deep drag. "Just relax. Have fun." Fun? This was seriously his idea of fun? She glanced around herself uneasily as he added, "Trix, stop thinking about school, stop feeling miserable. C'mon. Drink some more."

"Yeah, Dante's Bird, drink s'more. It's on us." said Tico.

Encouraged by the rest of her peers, Trixie glanced at the glass in front of her. _Dante's right...they're all right. I should really stop feeling sorry for myself, and I should stop thinking about school. What's happened has happened. I should just try to enjoy myself._ Before she knew it, she grabbed the glass and downed the entire contents without stopping. When she was finished, she slammed the glass on the table and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her throat burning. Perhaps she'd drank that too fast? "Oh, wow...that was...that was actually pretty good."

"Then have anudder one!" exclaimed The Bear, pouring some more booze into her cup.

"...No, I-I think that was enough..." She muttered, before she proceeded to slump against the squidgy cushion of the booth, staring limply into space.

"Aw, c'mon, it's in yo' cup. You gotta drink it now. Ain't no refund."

"...Fine." Trixie reached over and seized the glass, downing the contents. When she was finished, she put the glass on the table and they filled it for her again. She stared at the glass, then took it and drank it again. Once it was empty, she held it in her hands, unwilling to drink any more. She closed her eyes as her head began to throb slightly.

"Hey y'all, me and Nat's gonna dance." said Tico, grabbing his partner's hand. They rose to stand in the booth and everyone fumbled around to let them out.

Trixie opened her eyes groggily then lumbered out, since she was at the very edge of the seat. They let Tico and his girlfriend out before Dante went to her side. "Trix? Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." She nodded three or five times in response.

Dante settled his glass over the table surface, taking her hand. "You sure?"

"Yeah..."

"Wanna dance?"

"Yeah...okay..."

Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, he led her away from the table and towards the dancefloor. Her head throbbed relentlessly. Trixie clutched at her temples and closed her eyes, shaking her head. No use. The alcohol must be finally kicking into effect. She didn't think it would happen so fast. The drink must've been pretty lethal or either it was due to her low alcohol tolerance since she'd never even been exposed to these kinds of beverage before in all her years of existence.

"Trix? Are you sure you're okay?" She heard him ask. "You wanna sit down?"

She opened her eyes, shaking her head in an attempt to get herself to focus, but the dancefloor went spinning. She swayed slightly, trying to keep her balance. Her head pulsed, but Trixie felt...good. In fact, perhaps she felt better than good. She felt wonderful. She felt invincible. Her head was swirling. Whatever they had given her, it was indeed strong. Very strong. The music was just as loud but now it didn't seem to bother her. In fact, the music she thought was tasteless was beginning to catch on, gripping her interest. Dante was in front of her, and she smiled widely. Ah, Dante. He was the most important person in her life right now. He was all that mattered to her. Trixie found herself reaching for him, her arms landing on his broad shoulders before she began patting at his chest.

"Trix?" He asked; what the hell was she doing?

"Hehe...I'm fine. C'mon...let's dance...we should have fun...right...?"

He raised an eyebrow; it seemed she was unaware herself that the entire time she was beginning to grind against him. "...Trix?" He tried again.

"You said you wanted a good time...so let's dance...make me forget what happened...I need you...come on, Dante..."

Now he was grinning.

He pulled her up against him and into his arms possessively, their bodies pressed against each other tightly. She kept her eyes trained on him, running her hands up and down his chest, fingers delving underneath the folds of his jacket as their bodies moved together to the beat of the music. His hands wandered too, slipping underneath her skirt to rest on her ass. His hands were like hot brands on her skin. The music was suddenly no longer so loud. It felt like it was only the two of them here. Just them. She closed her eyes, enjoying the music, enjoying the feel of his body so close to hers. Everything.

She didn't know how long they were on the dancefloor but she wasn't tired; her legs didn't feel like they would give out anytime soon. Dante suddenly leaned forwards and captured her lips with his own. He tasted like beer and cigarette smoke. Maybe he'd had too much to drink as well but something told her he wasn't as drunk as she was. His mouth was hot on hers, sweltering, and his hands gave her ass a rough squeeze before they began moving all over her body, exploring her curves and caressing her hips, her arms and her legs. She responded; it definitely must've been the alcohol, which heightened her need for him. Suddenly she was just as eager as he was, tugging on his hair impatiently and pressing their faces together. She moaned as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, pushing his hips against her and she felt him growing hard. Their tongues tangled together before Dante pulled away shortly to whisper into her ear.

"Wanna go somewhere more private?"

When she nodded, he led her towards the exit of the dancefloor. They made their way blindly in each other's embrace, bumping into other dancers along the way but they didn't even seem to care.

Her back finally met a hard surface. A wall, by the looks of it. She heard a lock click shut and it dawned to her they were in a small bathroom stall. There was someone vomiting in a cubicle somewhere but they paid no notice. It was not as hot in here as it was out on the dancefloor but he was frantically taking her clothes off. Her top was pulled off her shoulders and over her head, her skirt pushed up to her waist, panties yanked down to her ankles. With shaking hands, she managed to drag his shirt off his shoulders before he hurriedly unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants, freeing himself. She moaned into his mouth when he entered her, and he shoved her further up against the wall and settled her legs to wrap around his waist. Fueled by lust, he took her hard and fast, pumping into her fiercely. She took each thrust as they came, moaning the entire time. There was nothing gentle about it. When he came he didn't even stop.

She could feel Dante everywhere, his hands on her ass, his mouth covering hers. All she needed was this.

All she needed was Dante.

* * *

**LATER**

" - AND STAY OUT!"

Trixie was the last to be shoved outside by the bouncer; Dante caught her in his arms, and together, they were on the ground, laughing. Before them, the bouncer spat forth a stream of colorful curses at them before slamming the door shut in their faces.

"Are you hurt?" Dante asked, inspecting to see if she was unharmed.

She shook her head wildly before smiling cheerfully like a cat, "Nah, I'm okay. Sorry, it was my fault we got caught." She uttered, as she rubbed at her pounding head, "Urgh...I feel kinda sick..."

He glanced around the empty alleyway before moving to stand, and turned to her. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah...I think." Trixie looked around uneasily as she tried to stand by herself; with both palms flat on the dirty sidewalk, she lifted her butt first off the ground then arched herself upwards so she was standing. Her legs immediately wobbled and she flailed her arms wildly in circles like the propellers of a helicopter.

"Whoa." He said, catching her before she toppled over. "Take it easy..."

"I'm dizzy..." She muttered; she was wobbling on her legs and seemingly unable to stand properly that Dante scooped her off the ground and into his arms, bridal-style.

"C'mon, let's go." He said, and she let out a low whine in protest, before wrapping her arms around his neck, wiggling her legs, flailing them around gently.

"What 'bout your friends?"

"They're fine."

She whined slightly, "I don't want to go just yet, Dante. Can't we stay out a little longer?"

"Where'd you want to go?" He asked, as she buried her face into his neck; Trixie appeared to be more affectionate when she was drunk.

"How 'bout the Pier?" She replied, before she glanced up at him and playfully prodded at his chest with her index finger, "Can we go there? We can talk and stuff."

"Yeah, okay." With Trixie wrapped up in his arms, he carried her all the way.

...

The gates to the Pier were locked and there was a sign saying 'No Trespassing' but Dante climbed over it after giving Trixie a boost. She drunkenly crawled over the gates and dropped to the ground, landing on her rear, and when he landed beside her on his feet, she tried to get up only to fall over again. He went over and picked her up, looping her arm around his shoulder.

"Hey, look..." She slurred out, pointing to a trailer a distance away from them, "It's that trailer you were looking at a few days ago...C'mon, let's go over."

Dante glanced around but there didn't seem to be any security guards at this time. He made his way to the trailer along with Trixie, her legs wobbling the entire time. He made a mental note that either he should build up her alcohol tolerance or he kept her away from alcohol altogether. Once they arrived at the trailer, they saw that the lights weren't on inside, and there was a sign on the door.

"Property of Anton Sullivan." Trixie muttered under her breath, "Was that sign there before?"

He shook his head. No, he did not recalling that sign taped to the trailer's door the last time they went to the pier.

"I wonder if Anton Sullivan is at home?" Trixie knocked on the door, but there was no response. "Hellooooooooo? Anyone here? Mister Anton Sullivaaaaaaaan? Are you at hooooooome? No? Oh. I guess he's not in." She said aloud, shrugging and shaking her head, before she slipped out of Dante's hold and hobbled to the side.

"Trix, where are you going?" He followed after her to see that she had made a beeline for the back.

She was standing beside a rusted, steel ladder attached to the back of the trailer that led to the roof. "Look what I found." She said with a giggle, before she began climbing up the rungs. He could see her panties but he really was concerned she would slip and fall so he remained on the ground until she crawled all the way to the roof of the trailer. He heard a few hollow thuds, and when it went quiet, she poked her head over the side of the trailer and gestured for him. "Psst. Up here, Dante."

Grabbing the rickety handlebars tightly and testing them if they would wane under his weight, he climbed up after deeming it safe and saw that she was now sitting cross-legged in the middle of the weather-beaten roof. She didn't seem to have minded how dirty the state of the roof was. He ignored a few furry moss patches and some rust in the corner and carefully made his way beside her. If they had a blanket up here it would've been more comfortable.

"What're you lookin' at?" He asked, when he noticed that she was staring up at the sky.

"Look." She muttered, before she pointed to a random area of the sky. "...Pretty."

"Trix, watch it; if you're not careful you might fall."

She ignored him (which he found surprising). "...Did you know that there are currently eighty eight modern constellations?" She uttered, "Forty two are animals, twenty nine are inanimate objects and seventeen are human or mythological characters. Look, there's Orion, the Hunter. And there's Virgo, the Maiden." Now she didn't sound so drunk.

He followed the direction of her finger but couldn't see any difference. The sky was a mass of black with a spray of twinkling, bright lights in messy order. It didn't make any sense to him. "I don't see anything." He squinted his eyes but still did not make out any constellations from the bunch of stars that were clustered together.

She let out a chuckle. "That's okay, I'll point them out to – _A-atchoo_!" In mid-sentence, she sneezed loudly, then sniffled.

"Are you cold?" He asked, and she nodded briefly before he promptly held his arms out to her. "C'mere."

She turned to him, then nodded and inched closer to him. Dante took hold of her wrist and pulled her into his lap gently before he wrapped his arms around her, rubbing at her shoulders. "Better?"

She nodded again, smiling up at him. "Better."

They sat in silence for a while.

"Dante?" She suddenly muttered.

"Yeah?"

"If you leave, where will you go?"

"...Dunno."

"Can I come with you?"

He held her tighter in his arms, "Yeah, 'course you can. I'm taking you with me, whether you like it or not."

* * *

**Note:**

Okay, I'm gonna stop here. I don't know why; I'm sure I've ended chapters better than I have ended this, but I had a bit of a brain fart so I didn't write anything else after this. For some reason I also envisioned Dante's friends to talk like gangsters.


	12. Devils Don't Cry

Hey everyone, thank you very much for the reviews and favs/alerts.

Anyhow, I decided to squash two chapters into one for this update... so yes, originally this was meant to be split into two but I didn't think it would change anything so we have this one big chapter. It's quite fast-paced and theres lots of drama, yep lots of drama. Enjoy...

* * *

**DEVILS DON'T CRY**

Trixie awoke to find herself leaning over a toilet bowl. She was heaving out the contents of her stomach and it came out of her gullet in yellowish-green sludge. Remnants of yesterday's booze-fueled night of debauchery.

When she had finished vomiting, she sat backwards with a pained gasp, holding at her throat. Her stomach was tight, sore. There was a pounding ache in her head. In fact, she felt dreadful all over. Her body was numb, her arms and legs stiff and she even ached between her legs, too. She tried to get up only for the blinding light in the bathroom to stop her in her actions, making her hiss and groan. There was a constant ringing noise in her ears which she found heavily distressing.

A knock on the door made her look up. "Trix?" It was Dante.

Trixie struggled to get up, limping over to the sink and opening the taps. She splashed some cold water over her face and cleaned her mouth, sighing. When she had freshened up, she went to the door and opened it to see Dante outside. He was smoking, pulling the cigarette out from between his lips to exhale a few puffs of smoke into the hallway.

"Trix, you okay?"

She shook her head. "...W...what happened?" She croaked out. Her throat was burning so much it hurt to get a word out in edgeways, as though she was swallowing razors with each breath.

"You passed out last night," He said, "I took you home. C'mon, you need to lie down."

He helped her to her room with an arm wrapped around her shoulder; once they were in her room, he walked her to the bed and she dropped over it. She let out a groan and curled into a fetal position, cradling herself. "Oh, my head...it hurts..."

"Hangover." Dante muttered, as he sat beside her.

"Hangover?"

"Yeah."

She must've had too much to drink at the club. "...What...what did we do...?"

"You don't remember?"

Although she shook her head, she did remember they'd made love in a tiny, dirty bathroom stall, which didn't exactly help make her feel better. "...I feel sick...urgh...not again..." Trixie grumbled loudly, before she hastily slid off the bed and waddled to the door; she grabbed the handle and slipped out of the room. Dante watched her every move but he did not follow her.

Outside, and she was about to make her way to her bathroom only to be stopped by a figure heading up the stairs. It was Father Tam. She halted in her tracks, staring at the pastor nervously.

"Beatrice," He spoke softly, hands clasped together as he stood at the top of the staircase, "...I need to have a word with you in my office." Without waiting for her response, he retreated down the stairs.

Trixie threw a concerned glance at her closed bedroom door, then meekly trailed after Father Tam.

...

The hangover was still in effect when Tam was speaking to her.

He sat directly in front of her behind his desk; she tried to concentrate on him but she was dizzy and woozy and she had a hard time keeping her eyes open for once. Trixie hadn't even showered since she came home with Dante last night; in fact, she couldn't even remember how they got home, and when they did return home. Did he slip in by the back? Did Father Tam catch them? She hadn't changed her clothes from last night either. She reeked all over of sex, booze and vomit.

Tam spoke quietly at first. "Beatrice, over the past few days your behavior has been most concerning. You deliberately skipped out on class. You started a fight with another student at school. You've been going out at night and coming back home late. What do you have to say for yourself?"

She pursed her lips in response and slurred out, "...I thought I told Becky to cover for me..."

"Rebecca came to me and has told me everything."

"...Everything?"

"If you are pregnant, I will take responsibility for the child; an abortion, perhaps."

That grabbed her attention, and Trixie glanced at him in surprise. "...What are you saying?"

"I am aware you have started an... _intimate_ relationship with Dante, and I expected the rules I lay down to be followed. I raised you to embrace a life of celibacy; you have taken all my teachings and sullied them," He said bitterly; he closed his eyes and shrunk slightly, as though wincing, "Beatrice, I am disappointed in you!"

"But...But Dante and I..."

"God will not allow this!" Tam continued to cry out, "God will punish you for your sins!"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing; as she sat opposite him, all she could do was gawk at him in disbelief.

Regaining his composure, Tam uttered quietly, "I have arranged for Dante to be rehomed. Clearly allowing him to stay here was a mistake. I will make sure this does not happen again. Beatrice, you will be sent to the convent to atone for your sins."

Rehomed? Atonement? Sins? She slammed both palms flat on the table. "You're going to split us up?!" She exclaimed, rising to stand slightly in her seat, "No, you can't!"

"I can and I will." Tam said sternly, "That is my final decision. This is for your own good; for both yourself and Dante. He must leave St Christoph's; he has failed to change as an individual, to progress and improve in his life. Instead, he has ensnared you and dragged you down to his level. We will never welcome him here ever again. I will make sure of it."

The more she heard it the more agitated she became. "It's not Dante's fault!" She found herself protesting all at once, "Stop saying that! All of you! He is _not_ a bad person, okay?! Will you stop it! You don't know him like I do! Why can't you see that? I chose this, okay? I CHOSE this. I chose to be with him, I chose to go with him, and I chose to fight with Mikaela, to argue with Becky, and I chose to go out at night, to leave this...this stupid _fucked up_ place! And I'll do it again!" She screamed aloud; she couldn't herself, the words kept flowing and flowing, her mouth with a mind of its own, "I'll do it again and again!"

"Beatrice!" Tam roared, "How dare you?! Not only did you disobey all my rules, but you - "

She turned away, not wanting to hear anymore of his words. In fact, they only caused to anger her. "You know what?" She sneered, "I'm leaving. I'm leaving this godforsaken place. Fuck this place! Fuck the rules! Fuck this! Fuck you! I don't want to fucking be here anymore!"

"BE QUIET!" Tam screamed before he rose and abruptly slapped her harshly across the face. It was hard enough to make her stumble backwards; she went spiraling and clutched at her cheek in shock; Tam had never hit her before. In fact, she didn't think Tam would've raise his hand towards anyone in general. She stared at him in disbelief as he towered above her and belted out, "I WILL MAKE SURE YOU AND DANTE NEVER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN!"

...

A loud scream came from downstairs.

Dante sat up in bed. "Trix?!" He immediately left the room; the sound had attracted the other children to open their doors and poke their heads out but otherwise, they watched Dante storm down the stairs and into the lounge. He did not see Trixie there but another piercing scream came from Tam's office.

"Trix!" He yelled, running into the office as quickly as he could.

She was on the ground, sobbing loudly; Tam had seized her by the hair whilst his other hand was holding a heavy book end made out of marble which was now dripped in blood; just as Dante entered, the pastor dropped the marble ornament. It dropped to the floor with a loud 'clunk!'. Papers were strewn on the ground messily, along with Tam's various desk ornaments and other files. "Oh...oh my...what...what have I done?" muttered the chubby man, staring at his bloodstained hands. "Beatrice, I...I...I don't know what came over me."

"Get your filthy fucking hands off her!" Dante roared as he stormed over and grabbed the pastor by the white collar, "I knew there was something wrong with you! You disgusting piece of shit!"

Trixie was sobbing on the floor, curled up in a ball with her hands clamped over her ears.

Tam was shaking under his grip, "No, Dante – please, let go! I didn't mean – Oof!" He was interrupted by Dante's fist flying into his face. He hit him as hard as he could; blood spurt from the man's nose as Tam sobbed and wailed, shaking his head over and over again. "Oh, please, stop!" howled the old man, "Please!"

_This is what's wrong with this bullshit world!_ Dante thought as he continued his relentless assaults, _Fucking priests, always too good to be true. Gaining your trust only to abuse you at the end. Fuck this shit!_

Trixie slowly raised her head, sniffling loudly; she watched Dante ram his clenched fists into Tam over and over again. She didn't know what to do, but when Dante kneed him in the stomach before throwing him over the desk; the man hit the corner and let out a mournful cry of pain before dropping to the floor, cradling his stomach. Dante didn't think he'd let him off this easy; he was about to approach him until Trixie finally pushed herself off the ground, hobbled over and held him back. "Dante, stop!"

"Trix, let go!" He roared, "I'll fucking kill him!"

"Dante – " She was interrupted by the door slamming open another time and a group of men in Limbo City Police uniforms came barging into the room, guns in their hands.

"_FREEZE! Put your arms in the air!_"

Trixie gasped and let go of Dante. One of the policemen, a middle-aged man who was standing at the very front of the group, was pointing his gun towards Dante's direction. Trixie stared helplessly at the men whilst Tam lay writhing on the floor.

"Arms where I can see them, now!" barked the police officer, and reluctantly, Dante angrily raised his arms as the policeman neared. "Well, well, well...if it isn't Dante? We got you, you son of a bitch. Don't you even think twice of resisting; we got you right where we wanted you."

In response, Dante cursed under his breath as they crowed round him.

"Dante?!" Trixie exclaimed; she tried to go to him but she was pulled back by a police officer. "Hey, let go of me!"

"S'okay, Trix. Everything's gonna be okay." Dante grunted as he was seized and slammed against the wall where two policemen cuffed him.

"You have the right to remain silent," recited the policeman, "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you."

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

"They're leaving, sir." Shen muttered, watching the two police cars drive out of the parking space of St Christoph's. An ambulance was parked outside where a paramedic was tending to the chubby pastor in charge of the orphanage, Father Tam. They could see Dante inside one of the cars. The girl was in another car, her head wrapped with a bandage. Both were being driven to the police station. Turning to Sullivan, Shen added, "It's exactly as you predicted."

"But of course." Sullivan said, replacing the car's handset into its correct position. "It's all part of the plan."

"Tipping the police, you mean." Shen said, and Sullivan nodded. "Should we not follow them?"

Sullivan lifted his hand, "Not yet," He said, watching the police cars zoom past them, before they rounded a corner; they were heading towards the direction of Limbo City Police Department. "We'll wait for a few more minutes. Then we'll go."

* * *

The police station was in uproar.

Dante sat in the cell, his hands cuffed together. Outside in his holding cells, demons who had shed their human guises prowled around before they lunged at the bars, jaws snapping, black saliva spraying all over the floor. They'd dragged him into Limbo, a twisted version of the police department.

"_Dante! I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart, limb from limb!_" screamed one demon as it tried to grab him, its elongated arm trying to reach him. Meanwhile, other demons hurled out more detailed descriptions of how they'd like to end his life. Dante merely snubbed them off with a few simple choice curse words. He was more concerned with where Trixie was; she had been taken with him to the police department. _To provide testimony_, they said.

Suddenly, the demon that had been trying to reach him was pulled off the bars and onto the ground, screeching. A boot slammed into its face and as the demon struggled and squealed, the policeman who had entered grinned and took off his sunglasses, eyeing Dante within the cell.

"So, I'm sure you know the drill by now." He drawled, "I'll spare the bad cop, good cop regime and lay it down to ya. Every single one of these 'cops' all want a piece of you. This time, you can't escape. There's no escape, there's too many of us, and only one of you. And at the count of three, I'm going to open the doors, and then I'm gonna come in and kill ya."

"Go ahead," Dante muttered indifferently, "What's stopping you?"

The policeman lifted his boot off the demon's face. It scampered away into the shadows, shrieking, and Dante moved to stand with his cuffed hands in front of him. A slant grin appeared on the policeman's face as he slowly took the keys out of his pocket and placed them into the lock, twisting the key. It gave a creak and as he opened the door, his hand began to tremble before his skin burst apart to reveal a dark bluish-black talon.

Dante glanced up, just in time to see the policeman's exterior bursting apart to reveal a hulking humanoid demon. A Ravager. Dante hadn't fought much of those before but they were a pain in the ass to fight. The Ravager was bluish-black in color all over, his head appeared to be nothing but a helmet with no eyes or nose or mouth present. His other hand could not be seen; instead, it finished in a large chainsaw-like appendage which began glowing a bright, furious orange as soon as the demon approached Dante.

"You know, I've been thinkin'," Dante began, smirking, "When I kill you ugly pieces of shit, what happens to you after you die anyway? Do ya go back to Hell? But I thought that was for people; does that mean there is some kind of other Hell for demons?"

"_SHUT UP_..." howled the Ravager, irritated by the taunt.

Dante evaded the Ravager's incoming attack by ducking backwards as the chainsaw went whirling towards his direction and he raised his arms; Dante winced slightly as the chainsaw's lethal spinning blades sliced off the chain of his cuffs and he was free. "Thanks!" He shouted with a grin, before he slammed both his feet into the demon's face.

It went stumbling from his drop kick, before Dante reached behind himself and grabbed the handle of Rebellion which had materialized in time. Swinging it off his back, he slammed it into the Ravager's body but its armor appeared to have softened the blow. The other demons in the holding cells were also something of a distraction; as they crowded round him, Dante whipped out Ebony and Ivory and began firing without hesitation. One bullet ricocheted off the wall and snapped the hanging lamp off the wall, encasing the cells in darkness.

Despite being unable to see, Dante released the trigger relentlessly and the holding cells were briefly alit from rapid gunfire. One bullet slammed into a demon's face, its brains spewing all over the wall and coating it in a greasy, blackish-red stain. Another bullet went into a demon's torso as it lunged at Dante and flung it backwards, its body slamming against the brick. Everywhere and everytime he fired, he would see their disgusting, putrid faces twisted in agony and pain as he massacred them, their bodies jerking and convulsing from the impact of his bullets.

When it went quiet, Dante ceased firing and it went dark again. Dante aimed his gun in the darkness and released the trigger; he heard a brief 'fwip!' and an emergency light went on. He'd fired at the switch to see the Ravager demon standing amongst the rest of its dead comrades.

"Looks like it's just you left. How'd you wanna get it over with? Loud and painful? Or quiet and fast? " Dante said, gesturing to it with his arms out. With his guns and Rebellion at the ready, Dante made a move forwards but the Ravager let out a furious hiss and hurriedly escaped through a dark portal just as Dante fired a round from Ebony. The bullet made contact with the wall instead, and he cursed as the demon was nowhere to be seen. He withdrew his weapons and left the bloodshed quietly.

There was a certain girl he had to find.

...

Meanwhile, Trixie was in her own personal hell.

She had been brought to the police station only for it to transform into a contorted, darker version of itself and the policeman who had offered her water whilst she waited to provide her testimony at an interview room turned out to be a horrible, deformed creature. She was running away from him.._.it_...whatever it was, with not much luck. Something wrapped around her ankle and she went flying to the ground before she was dragged backwards, her hands clawing at the ground helplessly. Turning round, she saw the horrible creature with its long tongue strapped around her ankle a distance behind her. She whimpered and tried to grab onto a nearby table only to drag the table with her too, its legs scraping across the tiled floor.

As the table moved with her, some items from the surface eventually dropped off and she spotted a letter opener nearby. Trixie hastily grabbed it and stabbed the blade into the pinkish tentacle. "Get off me!" She screamed, as it howled and retreated its tongue. It only served to incur the demon's wrath and as Trixie scrabbled up to run; she could see it lunging for her and she braced for impact.

However, nothing happened and she re-opened her eyes only to see a massive black creature blocking the demon for her. She had no idea where it came from! Horrified, Trixie stared as it rose and with one massive swing of its claw, it slammed the demon down into the ground of the twisted police station. She heard noises, like bones snapping, and turned away, not wanting to look as the massive beast before her plunged its talon into the ground again and again. The earth trembled beneath her and when the tongue demon was no longer moving (in fact, it resembled a pulpy mass of flesh before it disappeared into a dark miasma), the massive creature turned to her and she stared into bloody-red eyes.

"I-It's you..." She choked out, stumbling backwards slightly. Its eerie gaze bore into her; he was so large his eyes were the size of plates.

"_If you want to live then come with me,"_ It's voice came out in a surprisingly soft purr, "_I can bring you to Dante_..."

"Who are you? You're the demon who attacked us at the pier."

"_My name is Shen. Master Sullivan told me to retrieve you both.._." The demon plodded away on all fours, its giant frame making its movements slow and bulky. "_Master Sullivan has been watching you and Dante for some time. He wishes to speak to you for he has a proposition. I was sent to assess Dante's strength that day_..."

Could she trust this demon? Could she not? It _did _save her... She watched worriedly as it sniffed the air before turning to her again.

"_This way..._." It growled, "_Dante is this way...I smell blood...Lots and lots of blood...You can stay here and wait for more 'policemen' to come, or you can come with me. Your choice.._."

"...O-okay, I'll come with you." Trixie said. _I must be mad, trusting this thing._

The demon lowered itself and she glanced at it blankly; it then let out a loud scoff at her precaution and she could see a snort of air escaping its nostrils, "_Get on.._"

She went over, rolling up her sleeves. Now how was she going to do this? It wasn't like riding a horse or anything. She grabbed onto a patch of matted dark fur and after hoisting one leg up, she climbed on it and seated herself down, then glanced around herself awkwardly. _It's kind of soft and furry_, she thought to herself. With Trixie safe on his back, Shen dashed further down the hellish precinct, coming across more demons who tried to stop him. Trixie hid behind his thick fur as he swatted away demons in his path effortlessly. As a larger demon, his blows were strong enough to render the lesser demons dead in seconds. Shen continued his way through, battling through demons until they spotted a familiar figure ahead who was also fighting his own horde of demons.

"Shen, over there!" Trixie pointed towards Dante's direction, "I see him! Let's get closer!"

Shen said nothing but acknowledged her comment, heading towards Dante until a few demons manifested out of nowhere, crawling out of dark portals before lunging themselves at them. Shen backed away slightly; there was quite a large group before him. Trixie watched on uneasily and held on tightly as Shen came at them, deciding to charge headfirst into the crowd. He knocked many away with his powerful claws until one almost made a grab at Trixie who was clinging onto him for dear life.

"Trix!" Dante yelled; he dispatched of a demon in front of him and made his way towards them.

"Dante!" Trixie exclaimed, as Shen fought and clawed and bit through the demon horde. It just coming and coming in waves. Overwhelmed, Shen stumbled backwards slightly on his hind legs and Trixie went flying off, landing on the ground with a loud 'Oof!'. Glancing up, she saw a demon about to approach her until the tip of a bloodstained sword came ramming out of its chest. The demon jerked violently, its body floundering and the sword was pulled upwards, ripping it in half. Trixie stared as the two demon halves dropped to the ground and Dante stepped out from behind it. "Dante!" She breathed a sigh of relief as she rose to stand.

Suddenly, behind her, another portal began to manifest and Dante saw the Ravager from before, emerging. She turned round slightly, her eyes widening at the sight behind her.

And Dante ran for her, arm outstretched in an attempt to bring her out of harm's way. Time seemed to have slowed down and perhaps, for the first time in his very life, Dante felt fear. He could see the demon closing in on her and just before the chainsaw reached her, Dante grabbed her by the arm and drew her away, in an attempt to wedge his body between the demon and herself. It was not enough. It was too close to them. Dante let out an agonized yell as the chainsaw rammed through his back and sank inside him, before piercing Trixie and bursting out of her; he went still, eyes wide. Her fingers loosened their grip on the sleeve of his jacket and he pulled away to see her body going limp immediately. Blood gushed forth from her mouth.

His arms began to quiver; his knees trembling. His mouth began to move, but no words formed. He threw his head back and a pained, strangled cry escaped his throat.

Before the demon behind him could deal the finishing blow, the Ravager suddenly left the ground and the massive wolf-like beast hurled the demon high into the air. Dante grunted as the chainsaw was pulled from their bodies and he collapsed to the ground. The wolf-demon appeared to have taken care of the other lesser demons, too. Compared to the beast, the Ravager was tiny, and the creature captured it with its massive mouth, capturing it between its jaws. As the Ravager struggled, the beast continued to eat it leg-first, the chainsaw broke loose from its arm, dropping to the ground, and the Ravager disappeared down its mouth.

Dante raised himself off the ground, ignoring his tarnished chest. Trixie's body lay beside him; he crawled over to her, lifted her up, and she lay limp and motionless over his arms, eyes closed. The wound resembled a large vertical slit in her bosom and blood began pooling over her chest like a macabre red rose. As he held her, his fingers pressed into the wound on her back. The chainsaw had sliced through both of them cleanly, except he would be able to heal from the life-threatening wound...

"...Trix?" His voice was quiet, shaking. His eyes were also going wet, his vision growing shadowy. "...Trix...?"

He shakily lifted his hand away from her back to see his palm soaked in blood and he watched helplessly as blood trickled underneath them.

"No, no...Trix...hey, stay with me..." His voice seemed to become frail as he cupped her face in his hands, rubbing his thumb over her cold cheeks. "Trix, wake up...please.."

Behind him; he heard the wolf-demon padding over to him and he recognized it to be none other than the demon they met at Bellevue Pier. It prowled around him in a semi-circle, eyeing him the entire time. "..._Dante, you are hurt...aren't you going to heal first? The girl...the wound is too much...it's too late._"

Although his first instinct would be to attack a demon that had tried to harm him once before, Dante's concentration was solely focused on the girl in his arms. Her name spilled out from his lips in a broken murmur as he brushed his shaking hand through her bloodstained hair before he leaned down and vainly kissed at her forehead, the side of her face, her cheek, as if he was trying to coax her back to life. His lips tasted naught but her blood and she was growing colder and colder by the minute.

"...Trix, wake up...I need you..." Dante pleaded desperately, and as he buried his face into her nape, a lukewarm tear leaked out from the corner of his eye.

* * *

**Note:**

:(

I had Dante cry a bit in this chapter; I figured if he didn't...that would be pretty heartless.


	13. There was a Crooked Man

Haaah, so this story is an fictional take on how Dante may have gotten his trailer. It's probably become OOC and its all AU of course, and whether or not this story will feed into the game events is something I'm still considering. In the original version of the previous chapter, Tam tried to molest Trixie but I changed it so he just attacked her under the influence of Shen's evil fluffy spores. Aside from that, thank you very much for clicking on Chapter 13 of this story and thanks to those who reviewed and favorited/alerted this fic :)

The title of this chapter is based off the nursery rhyme.

* * *

**THERE WAS A CROOKED MAN**

The demon watched Dante carefully before he plodded towards the motionless girl in his arms.

"Don't touch her!" Dante roared, as the demon neared. He had Rebellion at the ready, but before he could even land a blow on the creature it swatted him away effortlessly and he went flying to the wall, knocking his body hard into the brick. He'd fought many enemies before but none had enough power to make him dizzy for a few seconds. Before he could even recover, the demon's claw slammed over his chest and he found that he was unable to move. Dante wrestled furiously in a bid to escape, blood spilling over his lips in process. The sheer power the demon exerted was unexpected.

"_Foolish child_..." crooned the demon, as Dante struggled aggressively. It was no use; the demon was too strong. The creature watched him curiously with its head tilted to the side, a slant grin forming on its wicked face that he could see rows and rows of sharp fangs. "_You truly believe you can take me on_? _I am a demon lord... I'll crush you like an insect._"

Before Dante could respond, an unfamiliar voice entered the fray.

"Shen!" The voice exclaimed, and a new figure suddenly slinked into view, approaching them within the precinct. It was a middle-aged man dressed in a smart gray suit with slicked back dark hair; Dante eyed him from head to toe; he did not recognize and had no idea who he was. "Shen, put him down." Glancing at Dante, the smartly dressed man added, "...If you want her to live, then let Shen take over, Dante. You can trust him."

He didn't know how they knew his name but he had his suspicions. "Who are you?" Dante croaked out, as Shen kept him hostage under his giant claw. _Where did he even come from?_

The man said, "My name is Anton Sullivan and Shen is my associate; he can save her life." Sullivan then gestured for the massive wolf-beast. "Go on, Shen. Heal her."

"..._Yes, Mr Sullivan_..." The beast finally let go of Dante and he dropped to the ground, clutching at his chest. The young man gritted his teeth in agitation, furious, as he watched the demon hover over Trixie before lowering its muzzle over her unmoving body. Dante could not see what he was doing since his massive frame covered the view, but as the demon pulled away, Trixie was still motionless on the ground. Dante scrambled to stand and once he was at her side, he lifted her into his arms, cradling her.

A silence spawned.

Dante waited impatiently, anxiously.

Nothing happened.

He couldn't believe it.

She really was _gone_.

Gone, forever.

He buried his head into her chest and squeezed his eyes shut.

_Because of me, she's...she's..._

He re-opened his eyes when he heard a tiny inhale, felt her chest rising and he lifted his head abruptly, facing her. "Trix?" He watched with widened eyes as she began to stir; however, she did not open her eyes. Dante placed his hands on her cheeks, his eyes trained on her face. He heard another quiet inhale then an exhale. Her mouth moved, eyebrows furrowing ever-so-slightly. She drew breath again and again. And again.

"Trix!" He wrapped his arms around her tightly when finally, Trixie's eyelids fluttered open and she began spluttering for breath.

"..._Dante_...?" She wheezed out, coughing harshly.

He couldn't believe his eyes; he held her tightly in his arms before he kissed her forehead deeply and buried his face into her bosom; warmth was beginning to spread to her body once more, her face glowing with life. She was alive. _Alive!_ She closed her eyes, remaining still in his embrace. "...I love you." He muttered quickly, showering her with kisses, "I love you, Trix. I love you so much. I'll never lose you again. I swear I'll never lose you again. I'll protect you for the rest of my life." And when she lifted her trembling arm, he took her hand and kissed it before rubbing his cheek against her palm.

Meanwhile, Shen and Sullivan watched on bemusedly at the reunited couple.

...

He'd brought them to his trailer at Bellevue Pier.

Introductions were very short. _My name is Mr Anton Sullivan_, he had told Dante, _I'm the CEO of a company – you don't need to know the name or what business I'm in – all you need to know is that I'm legit and you do need to know that I'm facing competition from a fuckwad called Kyle Ryder_. He then introduced Shen as his personal bodyguard, a powerful demon lord he summoned from the fiery depths of Hell using a few...sacrifices. He did ask Shen to fight Dante that day at the Pier. To assess his strength, Sullivan said. It wasn't to kill Dante, oh no. Shen was to lose deliberately. He only used 1% of his powers that day.

Furthermore, Shen was to keep Sullivan safe and to also fight the scumbag demons working for Ryder who were being used to scare away all his investors and to eat up all other rival companies and businesses out there, therefore eliminating Sullivan's success and wealth whilst Ryder was raking it all in.

"Someone has to stop that cocksucker." Sullivan said, "Before it's too late."

And Dante commented on how dangerous it was to have summoned demons when he didn't truly understand Shen's strength. Or his loyalty for all that mattered.

"I'm just fighting fire with fire," Sullivan had retorted to Dante's remark, "Even if Shen was to eat me tomorrow that's fine with me."

"You're insane." Dante snapped, "You can't take these things lightly."

"Never mind that for now, let's talk business, I saw you and your girlfriend at the Pier the other day and I can see you like my trailer very much." Sullivan said, as Dante proceeded to glance around his surroundings, "I'll give a grand tour of my trailer. Originally I bought this for my mistress but that ungrateful fucking whore decided she wanted a penthouse instead so I've just kept this trailer here by the Pier. Here are the specifics and measurements. I hope you can read."

"Fuck you." Dante spat as he picked up the handbook of the trailer Sullivan provided for him and flicked through, glancing at the pages.

Sullivan merely smirked, hummed under his breath and lit a cigarette, waiting patiently as Dante browsed through. "You'll notice it's bigger compared to other trailers out there these days. There's a rear ramp door, TV antenna outside, patio awning, roof AC, refrigerator, stove, fiberglass exterior, oven, gas water heater. There's a small bathroom in the back too."

He'd always wanted a trailer. "Sounds good. What's the catch?" Dante muttered as he closed the handbook and handed it to Sullivan.

"Aha, I was about to get to that - I have a _business proposal_ for you, Dante."

Whilst Dante and Sullivan conversed, Trix lay on the bed with the duvet tucked to her chin, listening to the entire conversation. She was not pretending to be asleep or eavesdropping but she had been instructed to rest by Dante but found that she couldn't really, not at this moment given in time. She couldn't recall what had happened only that she had been revived by Shen after a fatal attack that had left her...well, dead. Speaking of Shen, he stood outside the trailer in his human guide, keeping watch. Sullivan and Dante were seated at the trailer's tiny dining table, discussing. The trailer, as Sullivan mentioned, was very spacey inside, with room for a double bed, a TV fixed to the wall, a small kitchen unit and a bathroom to the far right of the trailer.

"Not interested." was Dante's response.

"Come on, Dante, don't be so quick to jump to conclusions." Sullivan quipped back, "Won't you hear me out first?"

"I don't do 'business'. Especially since I don't know anything about you." Dante replied. He did like the trailer but he was undoubtedly wary of Anton Sullivan.

Sullivan sighed halfheartedly, "I'm just a simple human, Dante. But I am a very rich human who can make all your dreams come true. All I ask for you is something very simple; I want you to kill the demons that threaten all my investors, my assets, my dealers... everything."

"Can't your demon lord do that for you?"

"No, no, no, you don't understand. Shen is my personal bodyguard; he guards me 24/7. I'll get wasted pretty quickly if he wasn't here."

"Well, ain't that convenient? Gettin' a demon bodyguard..." Dante muttered, "You're that popular, huh?"

"Oh yes. There's not one day I step outside my house without Shen beside me. If he's not here, I could get done for at any moment. The only reason that slimy fuck Ryder hasn't done anything to me yet is 'cos Shen's here." Sullivan added, "And that's where you come in. While I'm stuck here, I can get someone else to help. You."

He had no interest in finding out who this 'Kyle Ryder' was or what he was trying to do to Sullivan. Dante scoffed, "You wanna hire me or somethin'?"

"Something like that, yes." Sullivan crooned, eyebrow raised, "...What do you say?"

"What's the payment?"

"I'll give you and your girl a place to crash. The trailer, namely." said the businessman, "And to sweeten the deal, I'll keep the 'police' off your back. I'll provide for you both - think of it this way...I'll _sponsor_ you. How about that? I'll sponsor you in killing those demon scum for me. In return, I'll get all those annoying social services and those religious folk at the orphanage to stop harassing you. They'll come for her soon, won't they?"

Trixie lay still on the bed; she could feel their gazes on her back once she had been brought into the conversation.

"...Yeah." She heard Dante utter under his breath, "They will."

"And they'll take her away from you, won't they? They'll split you up. She'll get sent to another orphanage and you'll get...well, I don't know what would happen to you. But it won't be pleasant either way. You'll just go back to whatever hole you crawled out of."

Dante went silent following Sullivan's words; he lowered his gaze, pondering to himself. "...If I accept...How long do you want me to do this for?"

Sullivan shrugged in response. "You can quit anytime."

All in all, it sounded too good to be true. But what else could he do? Here he was, having escaped from a police department which had been run by demons in human disguise. He had been arrested and left to die. So had Trixie. Even if they returned to the orphanage, they would never see each other again; Tam would've split them up. He would be in jail for assault, or some kind of juvenile institution. Trixie would probably be sent somewhere far, far away from him. "...Fine." Dante barked eventually, "I'll help you. But I want you to promise me one thing."

"And what is it?"

He leaned forwards in his seat and faced Sullivan directly, "If I want something...anything, you'll give me it, right?"

"Yes, of course. The trailer, it's all yours. It's in perfect working condition; and if you require any maintenance, I'll gladly send someone out to fix it free of charge." Sullivan said with a grin; he was glad Dante was beginning to agree with him.

Dante continued, pointing to the girl lying on the bed, "And whatever Trix wants, I wanna make sure she gets it."

Sullivan was slightly taken aback by the demand and reclined in his chair with his cigarette in hand. "...Yeah, okay." He said, after a moment's hesitation. Taking a deep drag, he breathed out, "Whatever your girlfriend wants, she gets. Done."

"Do we have a deal?" Dante said, gazing at Sullivan intently.

"Deal." Sullivan said, before he offered Dante his hand. The teenager didn't accept the handshake and Sullivan pulled away with a sigh. "...It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Dante. From now on, let's look after each other, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever."

"I'll come by tomorrow with the official deed for you to sign, then the trailer's all yours."

Trixie resumed lying still on the bed. She heard them discussing some more things until she heard Sullivan getting up from his chair to leave. He bade them goodnight and farewell and Dante closed the door of the trailer behind him, and then suddenly Trixie felt the mattress sinking in beside her and glanced over her shoulder only to see Dante climbing into the bed beside her.

"Hey..." He muttered as he eased himself into the bed; he sounded exhausted, "...Are you okay?"

She rubbed at her eyes and turned to him as he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into his embrace, "Hey..." She greeted him with a lazy smile as he proceeded to bury his face into the crook of her neck. "...Yeah, I'm fine. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." He murmured, "Don't worry about it."

"...Are we going to live here from now on?"

"Yeah." Dante said, before his arm around her waist tightened considerably, "...Is that okay?"

She nodded.

"It's not a house, but...are you happy with this?"

She nodded again, "I like it; I don't mind. It's nice and cozy here."

"Then let's live together. Just me and you, Trix."

The prospect of a life with Dante excited her and she moved to sit up in the bed, nodding, the covers falling to their laps. Dante sat up beside her and he pulled her into his lap. "Yeah, just me and you. Just us. Wherever you go, I go." She said keenly with a wide smile, wrapping her arms around his neck, "I'll learn to cook and sew and take care of the house when you're away."

Dante chuckled before nuzzling her affectionately, "I was thinkin'... a pinball machine, right there in the corner next to that window." He muttered, gesturing to an empty corner of the trailer.

"We should probably get a new bed, too. This one's not very comfy."

"A bed, hm?" He said, aiming a teasing grin at her direction, and she blushed.

"C-can we get a dog? I've always wanted one but we're not allowed pets at the orphanage," She said quickly, "Can we get one, please?"

He laughed and squeezed her in his arms, before he suddenly pushed her down over the bed so she was now lying underneath him. Her eyes widened but he merely grinned at her as he pinned her wrists against the pillow. "We also don't have to worry about anyone walking in on us or making too much noise." And she rolled her eyes in response but nevertheless giggled when he pulled the covers over them.

Trixie suddenly threw her gaze to the side and pouted, "...Oh, I forgot...That Mr Sullivan wants you to work for him from now on..."

"Yeah, it's no big deal."

"But he wants you to fight demons for him. It's dangerous, you could get hurt. You could get - "

"It's fine. I'll be fine. I can do it; I've been fighting demons for years; this won't be anything different." He muttered, before he settled down beside her and closed his eyes.

She didn't like how confident he sounded; she was worried for him, worried that he would be sticking his neck on the line from now on, "Dante, I...I don't think I can allow you to go through with this."

He opened his eyes and turned to her, "Don't worry." He uttered before he kissed her shoulder. "...Do you want to go back?"

She sighed heavily as her thoughts wandered to Tam and Becky. "...No. I don't want to go back there. I really want to be with you. I really, really want to be with you." She muttered. When he said nothing in response to her statement, she added, "I want to be with you from now on." He almost forgot that she had been attacked by Tam and her so-called 'best' friend had decided she wanted nothing to do with her from now on. It fell silent between them but she noticed he was merely watching her intently. She pondered for a while to herself, then slowly met his gaze, "Because...a life without you would be a meaningless life."

Dante continued gazing at her intently until he grinned. She blushed and turned away, unable to meet his gaze.

"What?" She croaked out.

"Was that a love confession?"

"N-no. I just said a life without you would be a meaningless life."

"You can't bear to live without me, huh?"

Now he was basking in it. She tried to smack him playfully but he caught her fist and drew her in for a kiss. When he pulled away, she said, "...What do you think will happen from now on?"

He shrugged. "Are ya scared?"

"...A little."

Dante's expression softened, before he proceeded to pull Trixie into his embrace and he held her close to him, smoothing down her hair, "Everything's gonna be alright...I'll take care of you from now on," He murmured, "I'll take care of you from now on..."

...

As soon as they returned to the car, Sullivan fidgeted around in his pockets and found another cigarette; Shen offered him a lighter and as soon as it was lit, Sullivan inhaled a deep drag and turned to the demon who seated himself in the driver's chair. "Good job, Shen. What on earth did you do to that priest anyway?"

"Their true colors came out. All of them. Not just the priest." Shen muttered, "...No matter what, evil will always lurk within the human heart..."

"Marvelous. And you even saved the girl's ass just in time and we got the little bugger right where we wanted."

Shen stiffened slightly, then averted his glance away. "...Mr Sullivan - " He began, but then he paused and glanced to the side. He pondered if he should tell him or not.

"What is it?"

"It is...nothing." Shen muttered. He decided not to tell Sullivan that the girl healed on her own.

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

A fair-haired young man stood with a beautifully crafted violin resting on his shoulder, tucked under his chin. He controlled the instrument expertly, the bow moving in his hand in soft but powerful movements, a gentle melody resonated throughout the room. However, he was interrupted for there was a quiet knock on the door before a butler entered and he ceased playing, lowering the violin to point towards the ground.

"Yes, Arkham?" He said.

"Master Vergil," said the butler, bowing gracefully, "There is a man who is here to see you."

In response, Vergil raised a slender eyebrow and turned to see the guest who had now stepped into the room, stopping to glance and marvel around the room. He gazed at the guest; he was a tall slender man with beautiful features dressed in a white suit, his ash-blond hair could even rival his own with an even fairer complexion to match. The thin pale man met Vergil's gaze but barely smiled or frowned.

Instead, he gazed off to one of the portraits of a winged being standing before several scruffy-looking shepherds affixed to the wall. "Ah. _L'annonce aux bergers_, painted in the year of Eighteen Seventy Three by Leon Francois Comerre. Enochian. You have good taste."

Vergil eyed him indifferently. "You are...?"

"You may call me Barachiel." said the man, "...I was hoping you were able to assist me. I'm looking for my missing daughter, you see, and I heard recently that you've been looking for a long lost family member too. Perhaps we can...help each other, Vergil, _Son of Sparda_."

...

**Dante and Beatrice's childhood - end**


	14. Dante and Beatrice

**Warning:** Sex, booze, adult situations, cussing. Lots of fluff and some OOC.

Time skip! Whoohoo~ Dante and Trixie are now 20 years old, so this is 3 years before the game begins. I imagined them to be living in a Bonnie and Clyde manner, life on the road, that sort of thing. I didn't skip to the game immediately because the opening will have Dante basically...well, cheating on Trixie with those angel ladies. I guess this fic will show what he used to be before he 'becomes the disenfranchised youth' he is in the game.

Enjoy! :)

* * *

**DANTE AND BEATRICE**

**4 YEARS LATER...**

It was morning and Trixie was lying on the bed, clutching onto the angel statue for support as Dante moved on top of her vigorously. "You're going too fast." She pointed out.

He was grunting as their hips rocked together in unison, sweat glistening over his biceps. "I'm going to see Sullivan in ten minutes, 'course I gotta be fast."

Her moaning intensified when he quickened his pace and her fingers gripped the wings behind her tightly. The bed squeaked louder with each frantic movement and Trixie closed her eyes as Dante thrust inside her with his cock, his hands underneath her ass, lifting her hips to meet him every time. He was about to come when there was suddenly a loud knock on the door, causing both to turn their heads to the direction of the noise. However, Dante ignored it, proceeding to bury his head into her neck as he continued to thrust.

The knocking continued and she turned to him. "Dante...babe, get the door please."

"Not yet." He grunted, with his eyes closed as he focused on losing himself inside her. He grabbed at one of her breasts, squeezing hard.

She let go of the statue with one hand to nudge him on the shoulder gently. "Come on. Get off. If you don't get it, I'll get it."

"Two secs." He gave a few more thrusts before he finally came, panting heavily when he was spent. He withdrew, rolled off her body, pulled the flimsy condom off himself, flung it on the floor and lay unmoving for a brief second. Then he climbed off the bed and sauntered to the door (which was only a foot away).

"Dante, wait - "

Too late.

He opened it, stark naked, and the mailman stood before him with widened eyes. "What do you want?" Dante barked, oblivious to the man's complete unease.

"Er...I've got your mail..." The mailman shakily handed him some letters without meeting his gaze. He gulped and Dante snatched the letters off him then slammed the door in front of his face.

Dante grunted under his breath, plopping the envelopes onto the bedside table, having no intention to go through them. He turned round only to see Trixie standing before him with her arms crossed over her chest. He merely gave her a blank look in response, "What?"

"You should really put some clothes on before you get the door. What if it was a little old lady? You'll give her a heart attack or something." She said and he grunted. "And you used those cheapass condoms again too, didn't you? I felt you come inside me. There was probably a hole in it or something. What's wrong with the ones we already have?"

He shut himself off immediately to her...nagging; he really hated this kind of conversation and his expression scrunched up. "They ran out."

"Then what's that box over there?"

"What box?"

"That box over there."

"Where?"

"There!"

When she pointed to the box on top of the pinball machine, he rubbed at the back of his head, "...Yeah, well...I don't like using 'em. They smell funny. Relax, you're on the pill, aren't you?"

"No, I stopped taking it. What if I get pregnant?"

"...Is that such a bad thing?"

"I'm not raising a kid in a trailer."

"Okay, okay, you made your point," He sidled over and wrapped his arms around her before he began pressing sensual kisses all over the side of her face, "Look, calm down, I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry...It won't happen again, alright?" She made a disgruntled noise from the back of her throat as he continued petting her, but otherwise she said nothing to that. No matter what, she just couldn't seem to get angry at him. When he pulled away, he kept close, lips lingering by her ear, "All good?"

Trixie nodded; Dante smirked and pulled away, patting her ass before giving it a firm squeeze. He returned to the bed to fetch his worn-out jeans and boots which were dumped in one corner and hastily put them on, zipping up his fly and sliding each foot into the respective boot before he grabbed his tank top and put that on too. Next, he reached for his fingerless gloves and jacket and donned those. Trixie followed his actions and sat down beside him, picking up her own garments; she grabbed her stockings and pulled each over her long legs. They got dressed quietly, although he was watching her the entire time with a wide grin on his face; there was something satisfying in watching her get dressed before him every morning. She didn't even put her bra on, leaving herself dressed in nothing but an unbuttoned white shirt and panties. He continued to watch as she let her hair loose over one shoulder and grabbed her brush off the small table before she began raking it through her hair only to realize he was staring at her.

"What is it?" She asked, tilting her head to one side so she could comb through the tangles more thoroughly.

"C'mere." He reached for her hand and drew her into his lap before wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace so she was straddling him.

"I thought you said you'll be late for work." She murmured as he reached over and began nibbling at her neck eagerly. There were a few reddish marks on her nape, a clear indicator of hickeys he bestowed her with a few nights ago.

"Fuck it. I want to stay here all day." He breathed out, with his lips pressed against her throat.

She let out a chuckle as she put the brush down, slipped her arms around his neck, weaving her fingers through his hair before she tugged at a few strands impatiently. He winced slightly but otherwise, enjoyed the forcefulness of her action and continued kissing the column of her neck before he moved to her chest, burying his face between her breasts "Ow..." She muttered when she felt him nip at her chest, and she smacked his shoulder, "No biting..."

He merely grinned in response.

They'd been together for four years and counting. They lived in the trailer, and at first it took a while to get used to because there were no upstairs, there was no other room aside from the tiny bathroom and at least everything was in walking distance of each other. Their bed sat in one end of the trailer with a large window behind it, taking up most of the space along with two tiny bedside tables crammed on either side. Dante's pinball machine stood on the left. There was a small kitchen and a small lounge, with space for a loveseat and their tiny dining table.

It could get very cold in the winter but they'd bought an electric blanket which they shared to deal with the frigid temperature and it could get very warm during the summer but then they would just spend most of those hot days lounging behind the trailer in the shade or on the roof to sunbathe. During the evenings they would often go and sit at the Pier and watch the sunset, or the sunrise. Sometimes they would go out to Funland and go on some rides but the novelty wore off after a few weeks or so and Funland was not so fun anymore. Mr Sullivan used to visit them once every often, but those visits grew sparse and sparse due to business being his main point of concern.

Dante didn't care much about work but he did care very much about the girl living with him. Trixie had grown into a fine woman. A very fine woman. He didn't quite remember or see it happen but one day he suddenly noticed she was tall, slender and pretty. As noted, she grew her hair out and it traveled down her back in loose waves. Her face used to be rather rounded, but now she had matured and her features were much sharper, more refined. She had bow-shaped, pouty lips and long lashes. Too bad her culinary prowess was something that was still to be desired. They still ate TV dinners or microwaveable meals at least two or three times a week. Dante had changed too. Whether he had matured...well, that was something Trixie still often thought to herself about. However, he had physically changed - growing taller and bulkier to match. Now his shoulders were even wider than before, his muscles bulging from all the years of fighting demons in Limbo. He still kept that red pendant around his neck, which she had never seen him take off, even when in the shower. Along the way, he'd even picked up a few good habits (and some not so good).

For example, Dante quit smoking and hadn't touched a cigarette in three years.

"Right, let's have a look at these letters." She said; whilst Dante continued sucking at her neck, she reached over and took the pile off the bedside table where he left them. "Electricity bill, gas bill, water bill...bill...bill, bill, hey, my paycheck." She quickly opened it and scanned the contents briefly before nodding to herself and tucking the letter back into the envelope. Once she'd gone through the rest of the letters, she placed them on the table and he lifted himself off the bed, still with Trixie in his grasp with her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs snaked around his waist. He carried her all the way to the kitchen unit where he finally let her down. He went to the fridge and opened the door, pulling out a beer.

"Want some?" He asked, gesturing to her with the cold bottle in hand.

"No thanks." She replied, as he flipped off the bottle cap with one fluid movement of his thumb before downing a few gulps. Meanwhile Trixie grabbed a clean frying pan from one of the cupboards and placed it over one of the hobs on the stove, before reaching for a pack of bacon from the fridge along with a batch of free-range eggs. "You want any breakfast, babe?"

"Usual's good."

"Okay."

Dante sauntered to the counter and stood beside her with his beer bottle in hand, where Trixie had laid out a neatly-folded napkin and a cutlery set. He waited for her to finish cooking, watching as she carefully slid some fried eggs and bacon onto a plate off the greasy pan. "Mm, looks tasty." He commented as she dumped the pan and spatula into the sink, ready to be washed at a later time; when she turned to him, he merely stood before her, waiting.

She gave him a blank look, then frowned again. "...I'm not feeding you."

He merely smirked, eyebrow raised as though to challenge her.

She sighed when he refused to budge. "Fine." Stabbing the fork into one egg, she scooped it up as neatly as she could and raised the egg to his awaiting mouth. He grinned at her as he chewed and she did the same for the bacon, too.

"Breakfast for a champion." He muttered, grabbing the napkin by the plate and wiping his mouth whilst she adjusted the lapels of his jacket, smoothing them down neatly. He pulled her into his chest once she was done and kissed her passionately. Those four years didn't amount to nothing. She started grinding against him, her hands running down the side of his neck and all over his chest and arms, before they cupped his chiseled jaw, pressing his face closer to hers. A growl of approval escaped his throat as she aggressively bit at his lower lip before she began to use her tongue to explore the rest of his face, dragging it over his chin, the side of his face and ear. "Babe..." He groaned, as she began licking the shell of his ear, "Babe, you know when you do that, I get – " He stopped when she abruptly pulled away. "What is it?"

"I think I just saw a white hair."

"You're kidding me."

She pouted teasingly as he ran his hand through his hair in disbelief "You're growing old..."

He cursed under his breath. "Hey, can you get me some of that hairdye again?"

"It's fine, it's just one strand." She reached behind him and pulled at the aforementioned strand. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there since she was pulling at his head gently.

"Damn it."

"It's okay, white will be a good color on you."

"I don't want white hair."

She pouted again, this time, in condolence. "Well, nearer the time, I'll dye my hair. We'll both have white hair so we match." She said, and he chuckled, before he snaked his arms around her waist again and drew her in for another kiss. After a few moments, she untangled herself from his arms and stepped away, "Go to work. You're gonna be late."

"I'm gonna take my sweet, sweet time now 'cos you said that." He was now making his way towards the door and opened it as slowly as he could. She bunched up a wash towel and threw it towards his direction; he ducked and it went flying out the doorway and to the ground. "Ha! You missed!" He exclaimed, grinning.

"Go to work, Dante."

"Yeah, yeah. Love you."

"Love you too."

"See ya."

"Be careful."

The door slammed shut and he was gone. Trixie was left alone. The trailer fell silent.

_Hm, I've got the day off work today. What should I do? _She thought to herself, before she glanced around the rest of their trailer home trying to locate her missing skirt. It was on the floor, half-buried under a mountain of magazines, an old pizza box, a few empty beer bottles and some moldy-looking socks. She sighed; she did her best to clean up the trailer on her days off and during the weekend but his messes kept accumulating. Dante wasn't exactly helpful either; he was a slob, perhaps the world's biggest slob. He made so many messes and didn't bother tidying up after himself. He could go through ten beers a night and completely forget to throw them away the next day. She picked her skirt off the floor and hesitated, wondering if she should don it or not. After a few moments of mental debate and she went to a drawer by the bed and found a clean skirt inside; she pulled it over her hips before locating her abandoned bra which was lying by Dante's boxers on the bed. The bed sheets, not surprisingly, were soiled from this morning's routine and needed washing (as usual).

She picked Dante's boxers up with an eyebrow raised and sighed inwardly. "He really needs to stop going commando..."

* * *

**LATER**

Dante opened the door and stepped into the trailer. "Trix, I'm home."

"I'm in the bathroom." came Trixie's muffled voice.

He slammed the door shut behind him and the blinds went rattling. There was a nice smell and he noticed there was something being cooked in the kitchen. "What's for dinner? I'm starving."

"You'll see."

Glancing around, he saw that she'd also cleaned and tidied the trailer which made him grin. Their semi-dry laundry was hanging up on a makeshift laundry line inside. Without even thinking twice, he kicked off his boots and dumped his jacket over the couch, leaving himself in his tank top. He sauntered to the bathroom to see her snipping out coupons from a newspaper. "What're you doin'?" He asked as he leaned against the small doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

"Look, buy one pizza get one free every Tuesday." Trixie said gleefully, showing him the coupon she had cut out carefully. "How was work?"

He chuckled and went over to her before he pulled her into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her tightly. "Yeah, it was okay. Did ya miss me?" And she nodded, causing him to grin before he leaned down and pecked her briefly on the lips "Yeah, I missed you too. What did you do today?"

"...Nothing much." She admitted.

Dante chuckled again and then caught sight of their reflections in the tiny, cracked mirror. Remembering the white strand from this morning, he let out a grunt and pulled at his hair. "Hey...think you can check for me?"

She sighed. "You can barely even see it."

"Just wanna doublecheck."

"Okay, okay."

He lifted her up onto the bathroom sink (hopefully it was dry) and then placed his hands on the rims of the basin, lowering his head for her. "Do you see it?"

"Yeah. Hold still..." She plucked the single silvery, gray strand using two fingers and lifted it high, separating it from the rest of Dante's black hair. With the pair of small scissors in her other hand, she readied the blades between the white hair and snipped it off. "Done." She put down the scissors and then let him see the hair.

Dante's expression scrunched up as soon as he saw the silvery strand. "Can't believe this..." He muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"It's okay, babe, it's only one hair."

"...It's not normal."

"Maybe you're just stressed?" Trixie put her hands on his shoulders, massaging him gently, "Cheer up, hm?" Her hands moved up to his face where she rubbed little circles over his cheeks before she kissed him lightly, over and over again. "Come on, cheer up..."

He watched her stoically for a brief second before his lips flattened into an impish grin and just as she went to kiss his cheek again, he deliberately turned his head so their lips met, taking her by surprise. This time, however, she didn't retreat and when he wrapped his arms around her, there was no retaliation either. She allowed him to kiss her hungrily and when they finally pulled away, he scooped her off with her legs around wrapped his waist and his hands under her butt. He always enjoyed carrying her this way.

Their days were often like this. Dante would go see Sullivan in the morning and Trixie would either go to work, or if she had the day off, she would spend time cleaning the trailer, cooking, doing the laundry, other various chores etc...and sometimes she would go to the library, looking up information about demons. When Dante returned home, it would be late in the evening and she would be in the trailer, cooking something. Either it was a microwave or oven meal plus some homecooked healthy side dish, like vegetables or chicken or some kind of red meat, usually beef. Sometimes they ordered a pizza or a takeaway, or sometimes they went out.

"Something smells good." He muttered as he carried her out of the bathroom and dropped her off at the kitchen where two stewpot were bubbling, hot steam billowing from the lids.

"Heehee. You think?" Trixie said cheerfully, rubbing her hands together as she made a beeline towards the stove. She picked up her pink oven gloves along the way, using them to pull off the hot lid from one pot. Steam poured out and she flapped her hand before trying to get a good look at the contents of the pot.

"What are you making?" Dante asked, as he went over to the side and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed. He glanced over and spotted some new groceries she had bought from the store today – a basket full of fruit – and grabbed a shiny red apple out from the bundle before replacing it.

"I'm making chicken curry. It's almost ready." Trixie was always trying new recipes. She was always trying all sorts of new food and desserts, ranging from omelettes, pies, steaks, puff-pastries and cakes. Her most disastrous one was beef wellington where she almost set the rest of the trailer on fire by accident. Since then she stayed away from that one. She grabbed a ladle and dunked it in, swirling it around and around before lifting it to her lips for a taste. Trixie pondered for a few seconds before turning to him with the ladle in hand. "Here, try this for me."

"Yeah, okay." His unofficial title was Trixie's Food Taster and whilst she'd made some downright rotten stuff, he seemed to have a stomach for it and never remotely fell ill from her ventures and escapades. The Stomach of Steel, she called it, the Best Kind of Stomach There Is. He leaned off the counter and went to her side where she raised the ladle to his lips and immediately, when the curry slipped into his mouth, an extremely hot and spicy taste assaulted his tongue. When Dante choked slightly, she pouted.

"...Is it bad?"

"No, no...it's...it's good, Trix." As usual, he lied.

She smiled in response. "Really?"

"Yeah." He tried to give her a thumbs up, having to use his other hand to cover his mouth which felt like it was on fire.

"Great! I'll get the plates now." Trixie exclaimed, grinning to herself as she waddled over to the cupboard underneath one countertop to grab two clean plates and cutlery. Meanwhile, Dante went to the fridge and pulled out a can of beer, ripping off the lid and downing it quickly to stop the burning sensation at the tip of his tongue.

It only served to escalate the spiciness and he cursed loudly. "Fuck!"

Trixie whipped round immediately. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're acting weird." She muttered as she handed him a plate and a spoon and emptied a dollop of her super-spicy curry into his plate along with some potatoes and chunks of chicken breast that she been boiling separately. "More for you." She muttered when he noticed his portion size was larger than hers by a great deal. Whilst she emptied at least half the pot's content into his plate, she only had a quarter for herself. "You need to eat more because you're always fighting...I need to make sure you're healthy and strong and make sure you get enough protein."

He couldn't help but chuckle and as she took her own plate, he reached over and kissed her cheek as he walked her to their sofa, draping his arm around her shoulder whilst the other held his plate. They sat down at the couch close together and began to eat, with Trixie still feeding him more portions than he really needed from her own plate. "Have these..." She was muttering, "These too."

"There's barely any for yourself."

"I'm fine."

"Here, take this one back."

"No way, that one's massive."

"Are you on a diet again?"

"No."

"Then take it."

She huffed. "Oh, fine."

They ate together, watching a random games show on TV with five contestants, all about spelling out famous movies, taking turns and choosing vowels or consonants.

"It's T! The letter T!" She was screaming, waving her fork in the air angrily, "How the hell can he not see that the missing letter is a T?! Look, it says 'he Equalizer'. What else could it be? How could anyone be so retarded?! God!" Turning to him, she exclaimed, "If I was on that show I would've won a thousand dollars by now!"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah!"

"And what would you do with a thousand dollars?"

She paused to think for a while. "Hm...I dunno. Maybe go on a shopping spree?" She said, and Dante chuckled, "What about you?"

He shrugged.

"Come on...There must be something you want."

Dante rubbed at the back of his neck. "...There was this...uh, this coat that I saw in the shops the other day. Leather. Real nice, black and smooth... had this er... red lining and..." He gestured to his collarbone, hands on his chest. "These...things. You know, the things on a jacket where the buttons and zip are. The collar."

"You mean the lapels?" She suggested for him.

He grinned, pointed at her direction, snapping his fingers in process, "That's the word. You read my mind, you took the word right outta my mouth. Where would I be without you, Trix?"

She tried not to laugh. "And how much was it?"

"Seven hundred."

"That's enough to pay for two month's worth of gas bills!"

"Yeah, I know."

"...You still want it, don't you?"

"Yeah."

She sighed.

They continued watching TV and had their dinner until the show was finished, then she collected his dish and cutlery and went to wash them although she did so very quietly, leaving him sitting comfortably on the couch to drink beer and flick through channels lazily with remote control in hand. However, as he lifted the rim of his beer to his mouth for another sip, his thoughts strayed as he stared at her back. She'd been with him for four years; she had been by his side when times were rough. Now that he thought about it more, Trixie was more than a girlfriend or a partner or a companion to him. She was family.

Dante subsequently lowered his can of beer and then pushed himself off the sofa, scrubbing at his face with his large palm. "...Hey, Trix?"

She did not turn to him but she acknowledged his comment. "What?"

He wandered over to her with his hands in his pockets and stopped behind her before wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back to his chest. He rest his chin on her shoulder and said, "We've been together for a long time."

"Yeah." She muttered, cleaning a plate with a bubbly sponge in hands. When he said nothing in response, she turned to him expectantly. "...Is something wrong?"

"Nope." He muttered; however, his grip on her increased and he buried his face into her hair, "It's nothing. Just glad you're here, that's all."

"Hehe." She beamed at him in response and when she finished washing the rest of the dishes, she carefully lay them on the stand to dry before wiping her hands with a towel. "Well, that's all the dishes done. I'm gonna take a shower now." When she wiggled out of his embrace and strolled towards the bathroom, he stood by himself in the kitchen. A few seconds later and she returned and put her hands on her hips. "Are you gonna just stand there or are you gonna join me?"

Dante glanced up and flashed her a grin, and before she knew it, he had reached her in seconds and threw her over his shoulder with one arm. As she shrieked with laughter and flailed her legs helplessly, he eagerly carried her all the way to the direction of the bathroom.

* * *

**ON WRITING CHAPTER 14...**

Jeralee: ***typing*** "...one day he suddenly noticed she was tall, slender and pretty." ***suddenly thinks about Slenderman*** "...That was weird" O_O

PS I have writer's block so there won't be an update anytime soon.

Review?


	15. Mating Season

Hey everyone, so following my previous update I wrote and brainstormed like the wind and I managed to get this done and it's only been a week since my last update (though it feels like forever). I have to say this was a really difficult chapter to write, I literally have 10 different versions of Chapter 15 and I think of it as a slight filler. Again, I'm merely highlighting Dante's life of debauchery pre-game.

**WARNINGS!: **Rated Super-M because this chapter has PWP/lemon/graphical sex scenes. I am shameless for posting this btw, it's just pure smut. This is what happens when I watch Wolf of Wall Street and play GTA 5. Oh whatever. To hell with it all!

Read at your own risk!

* * *

**MATING SEASON**

**(aka ****DEBAUCHERY AT ITS FINEST**)

Dante finally rolled off her body, panting.

Trixie lay in her occupied spot on the mattress, staring at the ceiling with bewilderment. "...Wow, that was..."

He groaned and turned to her. "Round two?"

"...Round two?"

He nodded, reached for her, drawing her close to him, "Turn around. Get on your knees."

Still panting, he gathered her in his arms and turned her to lie on her stomach on the bed before she pushed herself up using her elbows. He traced his hands down her curves and the arch of her spine, brushing her hair over one shoulder as he positioned himself behind her. His hands finally landed on her hips as he entered her swiftly and then he began to thrust. Immediately she began moaning, immersing herself in the accumulating pleasure he was giving her.

Something was wrong with Dante this week; she'd lost count of the many times they'd made love. Frankly, she was getting a little tired but it seemed Dante was frustrated about something and desperately needed this pent up frustrations to be vented out from his system, somehow. Now that she thought about it, this had happened before, at least once a year, perhaps roughly the same time too. Trixie didn't know what it was or what triggered this but she called it his caveman phase, and she just thought it was some form of extreme male PMS since when she was on her period she could also get very cranky and emotional. Dante's mood-swings (which could get violent to some extent) didn't last very long, maybe a week, then he would be back to normal, back to usual Dante.

During this phase, he was cranky 24/7, he was easily annoyed, prone to tantrums, and physically, he appeared darker and broodier, his body would be warmer to touch and he would be sweating a lot. His irises would get darker, his muscles harder and leaner as if he was tense all the time. His attention to detail waned and he would be easily distracted. She wondered if he would deteriorate any further, perhaps lose the ability to form proper sentences at some given point but vocally he remained the same, except he cursed and swore a hell lot more. He was agitated all the time and he had lots of energy, lots of stamina. He would be restless and when making love he could get very aggressive and dominating.

Grunting loudly, he leaned over, grabbing her breasts and pinching her nipples hard as he continued to slam into her from behind harshly. He could hear her crying out, gasping and pleading, toes curling. Still not enough. He pounded into her with all his strength. He burned inside with no real sense of relief. He didn't even know what it was.

"Dante..." She groaned loudly, as he seized her by the hair and threw her head backwards so she was facing him; his mouth crashed over hers, forcing his tongue between her lips and into the cavern of her mouth. She moaned against him, eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Mmmph..."

He released her mouth with a pleased growl at her submission to him, burying his face into her shoulder, planting kisses all over her bare flesh before he began to bite down, marking her. He could smell her arousal and the scent simply drove him wild; her skin was as soft as silk that he could touch her all day and night, to lose himself inside her endlessly.

She was close; her legs about to give way, trembling from the sensitivity and the pleasure from Dante slamming into her again and again from behind, his thick cock stretching her to the fullest. She clamped around his aching shaft like a vice every time he slipped inside her. At this rate she couldn't even keep up with him.

His hands wandered all over her body; one hand was travelling upwards from her waist, between the valley of her breasts and to her neck whilst the other was fondling her between the legs, purposefully pushing her over the edge. Gasping, she let out a loud moan as she orgasmed and she collapsed over the mattress, chest heaving. He repeated his own movements until he came, dropping over her with his eyes closed.

The trailer fell silent save for their laborious breathing.

A few seconds later, and she croaked out, "...I need a shower..." Wriggling out from him, she rolled off the bed and sunk to the floor; he opened one eye to see her limping towards the bathroom, her naked body covered in his marks with his cum all over her buttocks and thighs.

"Trix...? You okay?" He called after her.

She sounded exhausted. "I'm fine...I'm fine...Just give me a minute...or two...maybe ten...twenty..."

He wasn't even tired. Not one bit; he lay on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and eager for more until he heard a familiar ring tone and glanced over to the cell phone on the bedside table. It was Trixie's phone but he'd nabbed it himself as a way for Sullivan to contact him. Reaching over, he grabbed it and pressed it against his ear. "...What is it?" He barked.

"Dante, come to my office immediately."

He groaned. "Now?"

"Yes, now. Don't tell me you're actually _busy_."

There was a silence from Dante's end.

A minute passed.  
Two minutes.

"Dante!" Sullivan snapped.

"Fuck off." He growled, before he pressed on the button and he could hear Sullivan yelling and cursing at him angrily before he hung up.

He stood and rubbed at his sweaty face with his palm. His hair was damp, his neck warm and his face flushed. He waddled over to the bathroom and tried the handle only to realize she'd locked it; he rapped loudly on the door. "Trix? Babe?"

"...Yeah?" came her muffled voice from inside the bathroom.

"You gonna come out?"

"...No, not yet."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay..."

"Sorry."

"It's fine, I know you're...uh...stressed."

"I'm not stressed, alright?"

"Okay, if you say so."

"I just... I dunno. I'm gonna head out."

"Where are you going?"

He mentally kicked himself for saying this but maybe he truly needed a distraction. "I'm gonna see Sullivan. He called."

"Just there?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, be careful."

"I will."

...

He kept thinking about her even though Sullivan was talking, and suddenly a champagne glass was shoved into his hand.

"A toast," Sullivan said, raising his own champagne glass high, "To celebrate four productive years of our partnership, Dante."

He eyed the glass warily, "...You called me out for this?"

Sullivan looked at him blankly. "Well, did you have anything better to do?"

He did, actually. Dante merely raised an eyebrow at the tall fancy glass in his hand and reluctantly drank a few sips before wiping his mouth using the back of his hand. He'd never had champagne before but the taste wasn't too bad. He was more of a beer person. Glancing around, he saw that Sullivan's demon lord was nowhere to be seen in the office. "Where's Fluffles?"

"Mating season." Sullivan muttered, his thoughts straying to the missing Shen, "Apparently it's the equivalent of some demon holiday festival so the horny bastard's fucked off to Limbo to find some demon whore to screw; he'll be back in a few hours or so hopefully."

He did not say anything in response to that.

"Anyway, here is your new target, Dante." Sullivan muttered, before he handed Dante a manila folder.

He put down the glass on the table's surface, opened it and a photo of a man he didn't recognize slid out; no doubt, another demonic business rival that needed eliminating. Dante took the photo and the profile, scanning the contents before frowning. "He's human." He remarked.

"Yes, what seems to be the problem?" Sullivan said leisurely, taking a quick sip of his champagne.

"I fight demons."

He gave a careless shrug, "I don't see what the problem is." Sullivan muttered, as Dante replaced the photo and profile inside the folder, "Demon or human, he's exactly the same – threatening my business – so he needs to be eliminated."

"I don't kill _humans_." Dante affirmed sternly, before he got off the sofa, standing up to leave, "End of discussion."

"Wait, Dante, come on, don't be like that!" Sullivan yelled after him, letting out a sigh as he watched the youth storm out of the office. His fist curling, he seethed to himself, "...He'll come around. I'll make him."

* * *

**LATER**

Before he returned to their trailer, he decided to go to Devil's Dalliance. He hadn't frequented the club for some time until today and his eyes kept wandering to the dancers just a short distance away from him. A voice in his mind kept telling him to go home to Trixie but he refused to leave his seat. His body felt like it was set on fire, achy and heavy with need. Sullivan's words swarmed into mind, regarding Shen; the demon had gone off to Limbo as it was mating season.

Although he had contemplated before if he was a demon too since he could enter Limbo and there were other demons out there who was dying for his blood on their claws, he didn't think he would be affected. Here he was, hurriedly downing gulps of 666, his legs trembling slightly. Sullivan had called it _Mating Season_. The more he thought about it, the more the term likened him to an animal or something.

He sat at the bar stool, drinking, the booze scorching the back of his throat, temporarily distracting him from his urges. A distance away on the dancefloor, on the platform nearest himself, a beautiful dancer was strutting around the platform in her stilettos, clad only in the club's signature white silk lingerie and a pair of wings affixed to her back. He couldn't see her face properly due to the distance and because she never did turn round, but she had a generous, curvy body and he found himself drawn to her. However, upon further inspection, he just couldn't help but feel that the girl was suspiciously familiar and when he squinted his eyes, he realized the girl was -

"TRIX?!" He roared, once the girl turned round fully, facing his direction.

Indeed, it was Trixie, dressed in the club's white bra and panties and angel wings. She had strong makeup, making her look older than she actually was. Her eyes were heavily outlined with dark eyeliner and glitter, the corners ending in sharp points resembling a cat's eye and her lips were slathered with light pink lipstick. He slid off his stool and stormed towards the crowd, shoving at people who stood in his way. Once he arrived at the platform, he could see that it was definitely Trixie and when she spotted him, her eyes grew wide.

"Dante?" She squeaked. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that question! What the fuck are you doing? Get down from there!" He snarled furiously.

She shook her head. "I-I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm covering for someone tonight."

He couldn't believe his ears. "What do you mean you're covering for someone?!"

"Nat. She's sick. You remember Nat, right? Tico's girlfriend." Whilst Dante grimaced inwardly, she turned away from him and he could see that her panties practically disappeared up her butt. Inwardly, he groaned slightly at the sight. "They really needed someone for tonight," She continued, "Don't worry, I'm totally off-limits, no private dances, no escorting, nothing."

"Then what do you call that over there?" He pointed to the drunk man in one corner of the platform who was always trying to climb on it and grab her.

She shrugged, using her high heel to boot the man in his face and push him away. "Crowd control." She replied, and he growled in response, "What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be at Mr Sullivan's?" She ignored the rest of the crowd before her to slide sensually down over the platform, arching her body into a suggestive position.

"Yeah, I...I left early 'cos he asked me to kill a human." He croaked out, his voice wavered at the display.

She turned to him in shock. "A human?!"

He nodded.

"No, Dante. No. You're not...you're not a _murderer_."

"Yeah, I told him."

"Did he listen?"

"Not really."

"You need to tell him."

"I know." He watched her incredulously as she moved; her movements were streamlined, snake-like. Almost as if she glided. It was hard not to be affected by that alluring display. He swallowed slightly as she got up gracefully, baring an ample amount of her breasts in process. It didn't help that the bra accentuated her cleavage. Whether it was accidental or deliberate he really wasn't sure.

"Well, I finish in two hours. You should go home first."

Dante grunted under his breath and scratched at the back of his neck, "Like hell I'm goin' home..." He muttered; no, he couldn't go home, not when a third of Limbo City's male population was here. Therefore he decided to stand and stay guard, watching her; Devil's Dalliance had a rule and that was 'No Boyfriends' but he didn't care and he inwardly despised the fact that she was here and on display. He felt positively murderous; she might be covering someone who was off unwell but he didn't like it, he didn't like the fact that other men were watching her and whistling at her and it appeared to set off the fire within him again.

His instincts came roaring into life: he felt possessive over her, he had a desire to protect and to claim, to show every male in this building that she belonged to him and him only. _  
_

The final straw came when the drunk man who had been repeatedly harassing her finally grabbed her by the ankle, dragging her towards his direction. Abruptly, Dante whipped round to him as Trixie tried to get his wrist off her. "Hey, you fuck, get your filthy hands off her!" Dante let out a feral snarl and seized the man's hand, yanking it off her ankle before he slammed his clenched knuckles into his face without warning.

"Dante?!" Trixie exclaimed in shock.

Ah yes, do not mess with Dante during mating season.

In seconds, a commotion ensued with Dante and the drunk man fighting and eventually their scuffle attracted the attention of a few massive, burly bouncers who left their posts to promptly arrive at the scene; Dante was pulled away from the drunk, whom he'd almost pummeled into oblivion, by several big and brawny bouncers.

"Alright, break it up, guys." At first, they tried to alleviate the situation calmly by holding them back until Dante jerked free from their hold.

"Fuck you." He growled, ramming his fist into one bouncer, right in the face. He punched him so hard his nose went 'crack' and the bouncer fell backwards, knocked out cold. As the bouncer fell backwards from the blow he resembled a tree falling in the forest: his back thudded against the floor, and dust was sent flying. There were a few astonished gasps amongst the crowd along with some cheers.

"You son of a bitch!" Another bouncer snarled in response, turning towards Dante whilst slipping on a brass knuckle; he rolled up his sleeves, revealing his massive, hairy and heavily tattooed arms.

Trixie stared in horror as they began closing around him. She tried to get to Dante quickly, climbing off the high platform and tottering towards him in her high heels, almost tripping up in process; she ended up having to remove them and held them in her hands by the straps. She rushed up to Dante, avoided his flying fist of fury by ducking to one side and when sought it safe, she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards a gap amongst the crowd. "This way!"

"Trix, wait – " Before he could finish his sentence, she had managed to drag him into the crowd, squeezing through the dancers whilst keeping her head low.

"Get back here!" The bouncers pursued them angrily, pushing their way through just to get them. Trixie and Dante were quicker due to their nimble size, and by the time they made their way to the other side of the club, they'd managed to shake the bouncers off who were left scratching at the back of their heads before splitting up to cover more ground, barking instructions into their walkie-talkies.

"...Did we lose them?" She breathed out.

He nodded. "I think so." He replied as he turned to her; she was panting, her chest heaving. It took at least every fiber of his well-being not to look at her. Here she was, indecently exposed before him in those tiny white pieces.

"We can hide in here." She said, and as though oblivious to his staring, she led him towards a corridor with numerous doorframes covered by flimsy, lacy purple curtains; as they passed, Dante could see debauchery taking place behind each closed curtain. He could see an angel stripper and her respective male escort through the gaps of the curtain. Another gap showed two angel strippers and a lone man. Another showed three strippers and five men. They finally found an empty booth and they both slipped inside and hastily pulled the curtains over. They could hear the bouncer's thick heavy footsteps thudding past and they could hear them pulling back each curtain. Loud squeals of horror could be heard from the disturbed patrons inside.

"Er...excuse us, carry on." came the bouncer's awkward replies.

Meanwhile, Trixie was panicking. "Ooh no." She squeaked, whilst Dante made a move to leave the booth, ready to face the bouncers head on. "Wait, Dante, you don't have to fight them."

"Makes no difference to me."

"I have a better idea – sit down."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

So he did.

He sat down on the soft, velvety seat in the booth as she had requested before she climbed over his lap and with her back to the door. He glanced up at her as she leaned over him, her hair tickling his face. "...You're right, this is a better idea." He said, smirking.

"Shh." She snapped. And just then the curtains were pulled; all the bouncers could see was Trixie's back and her angel wings covering most of Dante. She meekly turned round ever-so-slightly, hiding her face behind her hair and squeaked out, "...Can I help you?"

The bouncers glanced around slightly but ultimately did not see anything out of the ordinary. "...He's not here. Let's check somewhere else. Never mind, you go back to work."

She nodded and turned to Dante, breathing an inward sigh of relief. Whilst he grinned up at her and placed his hands on her butt, she gave him a lopsided look and when the bouncers left, pulling the curtains back to the original position, she uttered, "Phew, they didn't even bother to check. See? Brains over brawn."

And she tried to climb off him only for him to move his arms to rest around her waist. "Where'd you think you're going?" He said, with a seedy grin.

"Dante, let go."

"Nope, I like this seating arrangement very much."

"You like everything." She muttered, trying to wriggle out of his hold until he leaned towards her.

"...You smell good," Dante murmured, with his nose pressed against her hair. "You always smell good."

She gave him another look before she relented, draping her arms around him before she began massaging his broad shoulders. "Are you hurt?" She removed a hand off his shoulder to rub at his bruised cheek.

He shook his head, moving forwards to press his forehead against hers before leaning in, their lips touching. She kissed him gently, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer and he took this an opportunity to delve his hands underneath her panties, his hands running over the curves of her ass before he gave her a hefty pat. She gave him a playful smack but he merely pressed his lips against her urgently again.

Pulling away, he glanced around the small room, noticing the karaoke machine in the corner and an ice bucket with a beer bottle. "You need to pay for that." She murmured when he reached for it - and he plucked off the lid and downed a few gulps.

"So what? This is nice. We got a whole room to ourselves." He replied, wiping his lips with the back of his hand, "Since we're here, how 'bout a dance? A private one."

She gazed at him tiredly, "...You want a dance."

"For my eyes only."

"You've gotta be kidding me."

"What? You scared?" He taunted, placing the beer bottle on the table beside them.

"No." She said, pouting slightly.

"Then you got another better idea?" He murmured as he ran his hands through her hair before pressing her face towards him for another kiss. She could taste the beer off his lips and she licked his mouth eagerly before she began sucking on his tongue, causing him to chuckle at her bold action. His senses and lust were heightened by his animalistic urges and the debauchery surrounding him and he yanked her by the hair and crashed his lips over hers hungrily.

At first, she wriggled slightly under his grip but soon relinquished and he hauled her up into his arms, propping her upright in his lap. Grappling at her back, he tried to unhook her bra, his fingers straying over the clasps clumsily. When he couldn't seem to take it off, she laughed until he abandoned the attempt and grabbed at the front of the flimsy garment instead, ripping it apart. He stared at the sight in front of him until she took his hands and placed his large palms over her breasts. He hissed in a breath, watching her carefully as she flipped her hair over one shoulder and stared at him in return, challenging him.

"Trix..." He growled, as she let him massage and knead her breasts, guiding him in the manner that she liked. Out of his control, he squeezed her soft flesh, pressing her breasts together until they formed a deep line in the middle of her chest, her cleavage in view, and he let out another agitated hiss. "...Fuck, I want you so bad."

Half-naked in his lap, she moved his hands off her breasts and let them trail down her body and to her ass; as he cupped her buttocks, he leaned forwards and snatched one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking idly on the nub before moving to her other breast. She arched her back in return, pressing her breasts further into his mouth for his taking; he sucked and lapped at her nipples greedily, dragging his tongue around the tightening buds. She let go of his hands to weave them into his hair, her fingers tugging aggressively and he loved every minute of it; his hands started running up and down the sides of her body whilst she languidly rocked her hips in his lap, rubbing herself against his shaft.

The scent of her arousal hit him and he began pulling at her panties, tugging them to one side and exposing her core before slipping a finger in, causing her to emit a groan when he entered. She was already wet for him and his finger slid in effortlessly. After he pushed another finger in, she mewled, her hot velvet encasing him completely. Fingering her wasn't going to get him anywhere, so he quickly pulled out after a few teasing strokes and to his surprise, she took his wet fingers and slipped them into her mouth, sucking on them hard whilst she undid his belt and unzipped his slacks. He pulled his hand away to seize a fistful of her hair, yanking her face to his and their lips met in a heated kiss; tongues tangling, she wrapped her hands around his aching, engorged shaft and guided him into her, taking him fully to the hilt before she laced her arms around his shoulders.

He groaned loudly as her walls clamped around him and he grabbed her ass, throwing his head back as she lifted her hips and slammed down on him; she did that again and again, going faster and faster, milking his cock until he could take no more. She clutched him tightly, her breasts pushed against his chest as he began to thrust his hips upwards, using his hands to push her hips down to meet him when he bucked aggressively. Together they continued that motion until he came, growling against her mouth as his cock surged and he came inside her, his seed shooting out forcefully.

With a pained grunt, Dante slumped over the seat with Trixie perched on his lap. As he tried to catch his breath, she reached over and began kissing the side of his damp, sweaty face.

"...So," He started, "How 'bout that dance?"

* * *

...yeeeeeah. This was a shameless chapter. It won't get any worse, I promise.

To celebrate chapter 15, here are some updated profiles: I've included Dante too for the hell of it hehe.

**Name:** Dante

Dante arrived at an orphanage where he meets Beatrice at the age of 16. Despite some earlier mishaps, he grows close to her and whilst he is lured into a false sense of security that the orphanage is not like the other places where he had been sent to and was abused, this illusion is shattered after Tam attacks Trixie. After being arrested, Dante escapes the hellish precinct with her where they are approached by the seedy Mr Sullivan who proposes Dante help him eliminate demons threatening his business. Dante agrees and during the 4 year timeskip, occasionally helps Sullivan kill demons in exchange for accommodation in the trailer and he lives a hedonistic life consisting of sex and booze. Because this is set pre-game, he is unaware that he is a Nephilim.

**Name:** Beatrice "Trixie"

Initially an intelligent young woman with a promising future, Dante _did_ corrupt her to some extent but she chose to be with him after she got to know him better and began to find it unjust for people to automatically label him as a troublemaker. However, she has now become a directionless, uneducated and equally hedonistic individual. She works various pink collar jobs.

**Name:** Mr Anton Sullivan

A wealthy mogul whose businesses are being threatened by Kyle Ryder although he is unaware that Ryder is Mundus. He summoned a demon lord from Limbo to protect himself and he approached Dante and offered him his trailer in exchange for mercenary service. He is sly with lots of tricks up his sleeves, sneakily working behind the scenes to get Dante into his hands.

**Name:** Shen

A large Rage-type demon who has the ability to drag people into Limbo. He is a demon lord and exceptionally strong. Under Sullivan's commands, he sabotaged the orphanage using his evil fluffy spores and was responsible for its gradual destruction.

**Name:** Barachiel

An entity that appeared before Vergil, with hopes that he can help him find his missing daughter.


	16. I Love You

Hey everyone. Whoohoo! An early update! Thanks for the reviews and thank you for clicking on the next chapter of this fic! I'm glad the previous chapter didn't turn everyone off haha. Well, aside from all those, Dante and Trixie are capable of having deep conversations every now and then lol. Enjoy!

* * *

**I LOVE YOU**

She was in her kitchen when she heard a loud 'thump' that had emitted from the living room and then she felt a cool breeze whip past her even though her windows were closed and so was the patio door. Startled, she looked up from the dishes she had been washing in the sink and hurriedly pulled her rubber gloves off before running into the lounge only to come to a skidding halt on her heels.

A man stood with his back to her, in the middle of the living room.

Eyeing him from head to toe, she realized she had no idea who this man was. Her gun was kept hidden in the shoe cupboard; it might not be too late to reach for it. However, before she could even move, the man said, "Don't be alarmed," before he slowly turned round to face her.

She stared wide-eyed at the gentleman; he was adorned in a black trenchcoat and matching black pants, highlighting his pale complexion and features. Silvery, pale eyes stared at her in return, completely devoid of emotion. Her mouth dropped to a certain extent, "Oh my goodness. I-it's you."

"I'll make this quick," The man muttered under his breath, "Where is my daughter?"

The woman jostled slightly in shock. A weak noise left the back of her throat, a choked-up guttural croak, and she covered her surprise with a hand over her mouth as he stepped towards her.

"I'll ask you again. _Where is my daughter?_"

"I don't know what you're talking about – "

"Twenty years ago I came to you and you bore my offspring. Where is she?"

She clamped her hands over her ears, "I don't know what you're talking about! I _have _no daughter! You and I – we didn't...we didn't..."

He turned his head slightly, "...You are denying our past?"

"You have no feelings for me. You never did; you just...you just _pretended_ and I was too stupid and young to know any better," She sneered; her voice rose an octave higher, dripping with anger, "Look at you – it's been twenty years, yes, and you haven't aged one bit. I don't even know what you are!"

"You do not need to know what I am."

She shook her head again, "I don't want anything to do with you. Leave me alone. Go away."

"My daughter." He tried again, "What have you done to her?"

"You frighten me and I would never let her fall into your hands-"

"Silence!" His facial expression darkened thoroughly following her revelation. "You knew this would happen one day." He snarled, before he began to circle her slowly, those soulless eyes stared at her endlessly. She instinctively backed away from him, huddling to herself, and with a flick of his wrist, her feet suddenly left the ground as though she had been shoved by some unseen force and she went slamming into the wall. Gasping in pain, she dropped to the ground and he grabbed her by the hair, lifting her head up to face him. "_Tell me where she is_." He hissed.

Trembling, she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

"You cannot keep her from me." He declared, and with another quick gesture of his wrist, her body went tumbling to the opposite wall, causing her to cry out. "Tell me!"

When she still refused, he flung her into another wall and when she dropped to the floor, she struggled to get up, wincing.

"Stop...! P-please...I...I'll tell you." She finally whimpered out, "I'll tell you what I know..." Gathering herself up from the floor, she remained on her knees in front of him, "She was...she was found by a convent, and they took her in...They looked after her...and then she transferred to an orphanage called St Christoph's. After that...I don't know. Oh god, I don't know..."

...

He had known Barachiel for a few years now.

Barachiel had come to him, looking for his missing daughter who was called Beatrice; that was what they called her after they found her abandoned in an alleyway. And whilst Barachiel went to confront the mother (and who knows what he'd do to the mother once he discovered she'd actually deserted their daughter after her birth), Vergil went to find Beatrice. He was promised great things.

Beatrice, for example.

It wasn't hard to find her at all. Someone went to great lengths to hide her but he used his expert hacking and investigative skills to track down an individual called Beatrice whose last known registered address was an orphanage called _St Christoph's_. She was sixteen years old back then. Of course, the orphanage was no longer there, for it had been burned down to the ground, with all the residents killed by the owner/priest called Pastor Tam who abruptly went mad a few years ago and slaughtered all the orphans for reasons unknown before committing suicide himself. Pictures of the deceased along with grisly photos of the murder scene were put up on newspapers for a while but slowly vanished from the headlines. Beatrice was not included in the list of victims. The search continued and Vergil went to the orphanage as a first lead. He found nothing from the burned boarding house except from traces that pointed to a demon – its evil influence had taken over the orphanage, slowly corrupting the inhabitants. At a dead end, his search finally led him to CCTV footage showing a young woman resembling the missing Beatrice heading towards Sullivan's Impound Lot. Records told him that this woman lived with a man called _Tony Redgrave_. Beatrice had appeared to have avoided a terrible fate and was undoubtedly alive.

Therefore, he traveled to the so-called Sullivan's Impound Lot, essentially a rundown carpark with a small hut which was manned by one measly old gentleman called Saul, and when Vergil arrived, he saw the man called Saul sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch. He glanced up from his newspaper as soon as Vergil approached him; Vergil was a tall and handsome, young man dressed in black. His complexion, hair and eyes contrasted heavily with his dark attire; they were as pale as the moon despite his youth.

And the old man ogled at him from head to toe, then grunted out in a rough, Southern drawl, "Are yous the owner of the black Cadillac?"

Vergil chuckled under his breath following his comment, seemingly amused. "No, I am not here because I have a vehicle confiscated. I was hoping you were able to help me."

"What can I help you with?"

He slid one gloved hand into his pockets and pulled out a photograph of Beatrice before showing it to him. "Do you recognize the girl in the picture?"

Saul took the glossy print off him and scrutinized it intently, before slowly shaking his head, "No. I never seen her before. Sorry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Why do ya ask? She missin' or something?" The old man then squinted his eyes at him, "Have you checked with the Limbo City Police Department? They's good for looking out for them missing folk."

However, Vergil merely shook his head in response, deciding not to pursue with this man or matter for that fact. "Never mind. Many apologies for...wasting your time. Good day."

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

It was a hot, sunny day and Funland was very busy as it was a weekend with lots of kids and teenagers hanging around. At first, she was worried they'd get hassle from the youths but Dante proved her wrong when he would threaten them with either Ebony or Ivory (or both, depending on his mood) if they came too near so their trailer stayed remotely safe from vandalism and graffiti; however, it still didn't seem to stop a strange logo being spray painted onto the side of their trailer in striking blue and red spray paint. The strangest thing was that both Dante and Trixie couldn't even remember when such an ordeal had happened; it was probably when they were both away from home.

Trixie sat with her legs crossed on a foldable chair which she had propped outside the trailer; she was donned in a vest, shorts, flipflops and sunglasses and she had been reading a magazine, flipping through the glossy pages until she glanced up, lowering her shades. "You missed a spot." She said, as Dante smothered at the wall with a fresh coat of silvery-gray paint.

He turned to her with brush in hand and glanced over to see where she was pointing to. He trudged over and began slapping the brush over the spot messily.

"You're doing it wrong." She added.

"Wrong?"

"Yeah, your technique's all over the place."

"It's just a paint job."

"Well, can you at least do it properly?"

He grumbled loudly, "This is why I hate doing the fucking chores with you just sittin' there, watching me, acting like you're my boss or something."

"Getting lippy with me, huh? We'll see about that." She said, standing up in the chair, magazine dropping out of her lap and to the ground.

He lowered his hand holding the brush, held his arms out as she stormed towards his direction. "Oh, so you're coming over now? You think you can do a better job than I can? Okay, be my guest, Princess Trixie."

She glared at him as she stopped by his side, "Don't call me that."

He presented the paintbrush to her, "And here's your brush, _Princess Trixie_. Go on then, show me how it's done. Go on."

"Damn right, I'll show you how it's done." She snapped, grabbing the brush off him before she began to smother and dab at the walls with the paint.

He stood beside her with his arms crossed, watching her bemusedly for a few seconds or so before he sauntered to the foldable chair and seated himself down comfortably, grabbing her shades and propping them on. He picked up her magazine too and opened it as though he was browsing through, but he rather enjoyed the view that was currently before him, with Trixie trying to reach the high areas, her top riding further up and up and stomach and back without her even realizing. He grinned inwardly to himself.

When she had finished, she lowered the brush in her hand, wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a step backwards to marvel her work. "See? I got it done in seconds and it looks sooooo much better than your stupid, half-assed attempt; it's so easy to see who wears the pants in this relationship."

"Yep." Dante agreed, nodding.

Trixie stopped grinning to herself once she heard his aloof response. "Hey, wait a minute. I see what you just did."

"What? What did I just do?" He said innocently, flipping through one page of her magazine with a grin.

"Ohhh, you think you're so smart."

"Are you accusing me of something?"

She put the brush on the ground and angrily jabbed a finger at his direction, "Hoho, think you're a wise guy?"

"What? No, of course not; I mean, look at what you've just did; the trailer looks great. I couldn't have done that." Dante got up from the chair to join her side, lifted the brush and patted her on the shoulder. "Good job, princess."

"Urgh!" She let out a growl in frustration as he stopped beside her, "You're so – " She was interrupted when he leaned forwards and with the paintbrush in hand, he smothered it all over the front of her top. She gawked at herself in shock, frozen on the spot. "Dante!" He let out a bark of laughter as she stared wide-eyed at the gray patch on her top before she whipped her head up to him, "Look what you did to my vest!"

"Aww, boohoo, Princess, what are you gonna do about it?" He taunted with a snicker.

"Gimme that!" Snatching the brush off him in seconds, she angrily pressed the bristles over his crotch - now there was a bright gray stain over his fly - and she smirked to herself at her victory. "Hah! Take that!"

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" He said, inching closer to her whilst cracking his knuckles.

Undeterred by his closeness, she stepped forwards, challenging him, "Bring it on!"

At first, both stared each other down - then he dived for the brush - she jerked her hand away from his reach and turned, running towards the back of the trailer. He chased after her with a wide smirk on his face, and once he caught up to her, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his embrace although at the same time, his hand landed over the gray spot on her vest and his whole arm was covered in paint. Laughing, she turned round to him and the brush went over one side of his face.

"Hey!" He yelled, although he was still grinning, and he managed to seize the brush out of her hands before smothering it over her left cheek. She gasped as he discarded the brush to the ground, tossing it over his shoulder, and just as she opened her mouth to chastise him angrily, he abruptly pressed his lips against hers.

She tried to fight him at first, struggling, but he draped his arms around her and pulled her tight against his body, prying her mouth open before thrusting his tongue inside. A few seconds later and she ceased her struggling and he continued to stroke her mouth hotly, before pulling out to kiss and nibble the cleaner side of her face. She clutched onto him before wrapping her arms around his neck. He backed her up against the wall of the trailer, scooping her off the ground, his hands grabbing at her rear whilst she automatically snaked her legs around his waist. He moved away from her mouth to attack her neck viciously with playful nips before his lips traveled lower and lower, his mouth hot over the top of her breasts.

Instinctively, he bucked his hips against hers, his shaft making it's presence known against her stomach. Between kisses, he murmured, "Still angry?"

She shook her head. "No, but we need to go wash now."

"Great, I love shower sex." He said, grinning wickedly as he carried her into the trailer through the back, slamming the door shut behind them.

They were unaware of the man who had been watching them the entire time a distance away.

...

"Disgusting." Barachiel muttered.

He'd seen everything.

* * *

**LATER**

Whilst Dante snored loudly on the bed, Trixie was lying beside him and staring at the ceiling, trying to get to sleep until she heard a knock on the door and she glanced over. Dante hadn't woken up; instead he had chosen to snore louder and roll onto his side. The knocking continued; it was late in the evening and she didn't know who it might be considering the mailman was perhaps their only visitor and even then he came in the morning. She slid out of bed and gingerly opened the door only to see a frail-looking woman standing outside. At first, they merely stared at each other in silence, until the woman's eyes widened slightly, gazing at the half-dressed Trixie from head to toe.

"Are you...Beatrice?" She breathed out; even her voice was fragile to match her appearance.

Unconsciously, she kept her eyes still trained on the woman but tilted her head slightly towards Dante's direction – he was still asleep – and her eyebrow rose as she asked, "...Can I help you?"

The woman proceeded to put her hands over her mouth and Trixie watched this action, a little warily; the woman faltered, letting out a muffled gasp. "...It's you...Beatrice, I'm...I'm your mother. Your biological mother."

Trixie stilled for a few seconds, hand loosening to a considerable extent on the handle of the trailer door, before eventually, she croaked out, "_Excuse me?_"

The woman made a move forwards which only served Trixie to step backwards. "It's true. I've been looking for you for a long time, Beatrice, I...I'm so sorry."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Go away."

Before she could slam the door in front of her face, the woman cried out, "You have the locket! I know you do!"

She froze up immediately. "...Locket?"

"Yes, the one you were found with as a baby. The nuns at the convent told me you were found with it...It was me. I left you with it." When Trixie fell silent, the woman used this as a cue to explain more. "He's coming." She muttered hurriedly, "He's coming for you."

She held up her hands, "Wait, wait, hold on...W-what...what are you talking about? Who's coming for me? Who the heck are you? H-how dare you turn up on my doorstep and-and – "

"Beatrice, I'm sorry I abandoned you all those years ago. I'm sorry. I didn't want to. Please, you have to listen to me – " The woman stopped in mid-sentence and clumsily pulled out a locket that was looped around her neck; she lifted it and showed it to Trixie – it was exactly the same as her own – and it only served to confuse her more. "You have this, yes?" The woman's words frantically spilled from her mouth, "It's called the _Seal of Barachiel_. It's his. He came for me and he'll come for you too. He'll be coming."

"Who is?"

"Your father."

Trixie was at a loss of words. "...My...father?" And when the woman nodded vigorously, Trixie only frowned, "Is this a sick joke? Who the hell are you and how do you know so much about me?! You're not my mother!"

"Beatrice, please! Listen to me! I abandoned you, that day, all those years ago... yes, I admit it! I found out I was pregnant and I was scared! I was frightened of your father and I was frightened of who and what he was! But you can't stay here, you have to come with me - "

Mind reeling, Trixie hastily slammed the door in front of the woman's face and locked it, not wanting to hear any more. She could still hear the woman hysterically wailing outside. She clamped her hands over her ears and tried to blot out the noise. A few minutes later, however, and the mournful sobbing ceased. Trixie lowered her hands and tiptoed to the door cautiously before peeking out of the window through the blinds.

The woman was gone.

She ran her hand through her hair and let out a shaky sigh before averting her attention to the bed where she could see Dante – who was now stirring awake. She merely gave him an exasperated look as he grunted out groggily, "...What's with all the yelling?"

She didn't know how much he heard, or if he heard anything at all. "N-nothing. Did...did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Never mind."

Dante let out a loud, sleepy yawn and rolled to lie on his back. "Trix, come to bed. C'mon, it's getting cold without ya."

"Yeah, okay." Trixie climbed in without further ado and crawled underneath the sheets, making her way up before she poked her head out of the covers. She smiled at him before he wrapped his arms around her, reaching up to peck her quickly on the lips. She lowered her head to rest over his bare chest whilst he closed his eyes and began nuzzling her affectionately, and she murmured, "Dante?"

"Yeah?"

"...I love you." She said, "I love you. A lot."

He opened one eye and glanced at her, before his lips spread into a wide grin. "You just figured that out now?"

She sighed lightly, "No, it was after all those years of cleaning after your messes and watching you wander around the trailer naked all the time."

"But you're still here."

"Yep, I'm still here."

"I must be doing something right then."

"If you say so."

"It's probably the wandering around naked thing, right? You like that. I know you do, secretly."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, I can see it in your eyes. Your face, your expression...it's calm...but your eyes... they're telling me a completely different story."

"It's because you do it so carefree."

"Then you oughta do it some time."

"...No, I don't think I want to."

"Why not? I'd like it very much."

"Yeah, I bet you would." She replied, which only caused him to snicker. She dropped her grin and sighed again, "I'm serious, Dante."

"I know." He said, before he took her face in his hands and squished her cheeks together. A stifled laugh erupted from her lips and she jerked free from his grip. The trailer fell a brief, comfortable silence as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him until he added, "...Why did you talk to me?"

"_What?_"

"What?"

"How did 'I love you' suddenly become 'why did you talk to me?' Where did that come from?"

"I'm talkin' about when we were at the orphanage."

"Oh, right. I haven't thought about that place for a long time, Dante."

"I've just been thinkin', that's all." He said, "At the orphanage, you were the only one who spoke to me. Even though I kept telling you to get lost."

She pulled away from him and gave him a funny look "...Yeah, I remember that." She muttered, but this only caused him to grin, "I dunno, I wanted to get to know you better."

"So it wasn't because I was hot or anything?"

Trixie smacked him gently, "No, in fact it was the other way round; it was because you were so danged ugly that no-one dared to approach you and I felt sorry for you." She said, rolling her eyes when he laughed, "I wish we could be like this forever." She added, resting her chin over his chest before she began drawing little circles using a finger on his shoulder.

"You mean, working for Sullivan?"

"No, not that. Maybe you should branch off and do something different. There must be something better out there."

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Why don't you open up your own business? A demon hunting business? You could help other people who are being harassed by demons. Not just people like Sullivan."

He laughed and brushed her off, "...Like get my own shop or something?"

"Why not? It's an idea." She muttered, shrugging slightly, "Think about it."

"Yeah, sure," Dante said, "Go to sleep, Trix."

"Okay." She reached over and kissed his cheek, "Night, Dante."

"G'night, babe." He muttered, as she shuffled to lie on her side of the bed whilst Dante moved to lie on his back, lying spread-eagled that she was shoved to the edge of the bed. He even threw his leg over her waist in process.

She re-opened her eyes and turned to him, "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm trying to sleep." He replied, and Trixie sat up in bed, facing him.

"Well, you're taking up all my bedspace. We sat down and talked about this before. That side of the bed is yours, and this side of the bed is mine. Yours. Mine. _Yours_. _Mine_." She used her hands to indicate how much of the space he was taking; he had indeed, rolled all the way towards her side of the bed. "And get your leg off me."

"What's the magic word?"

"...What word? 'Please'?"

"No, that's not the magic word."

"Then what is the magic word?"

"You don't know the magic word?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know. What are_ you_ talking about?"

"Dante!" She wailed loudly in frustration. As he laughed, she grabbed her pillow and threw it over him; however, he sat up quickly, caught the pillow before it could land on him and in a quick turn of events, he had pulled her under the sheets with him, and they were laughing and rolling around in a tangle of limbs. Once he had her trapped underneath him on the bed, he pinned her wrists beside her head, leaned down and began kissing her eagerly. She closed her eyes and wriggled slightly when his hair tickled her cheeks as he planted butterfly kisses all over her face.

And when he pulled away, their eyes met and he murmured, "I love you, Trix. You know that, right?"

She smiled and nodded, and Dante enveloped his arms around her tightly before lowering his head to rest over her chest. He closed his eyes and listened to her beating heart; the trailer fell silent once more but he could hear her inhale and exhale gently, hear her emit gentle sighs every now and then. Outside and the sky was beginning to darken, the fair coming to a close. For a long time, he hadn't felt at peace until now. And whilst she stroked his hair and the side of his face, he found himself drifting into a very comfortable sleep.

However, Trixie remained awake, remembering the woman's troubling words.

* * *

**Note:**

I completely forgot about Dante's alias as 'Tony' so I slotted it in quickly. More about that later...

Unnhh there was so much sarcasm in this chapter, it was so hard not to bold or italic or underline every word haha. This is kinda random, but so far, my favorite chapters are 3 and 6 hehe. I don't think I like the other chapters as much as I like those ones for some reason. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)


	17. The Disappearing Act

Hey everyone :) Here's another early update so don't say I'm not good to you all haah. Thanks to those who reviewed. In answer to Ylaya, here are some important points I should probably share with everyone...

1. I write bad endings. I'm a bad-ending author and proud of it.

2. I have chucked the Vergil OC fic out of the window for the time being. If I was to write a Vergil fic it would be Classic Vergil because I like Classic Vergil but at the same time I don't really understand his character much. On the other hand I also quite like DmC Vergil because of his manipulative streak and you see him go from good to bad (or he was good, at least, to a certain extent). Its hard to explain but its like we get two different kinds of Vergil and both are interesting in their own way.

Soooo, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and apologies if you consider what will happen in the first part to be OOC of Dante.

PS. For this chapter, if you want the mood, find the most suspenseful and sinister music you have. I am using the soundtrack of Oldboy (not the remake) most preferably 'Out of the Past' or 'In a Lonely Place'... or all the music haha. I can't really decide.

* * *

**THE DISAPPEARING ACT**

One day, Trixie would disappear from Dante's life.

"Hey. Trix. We've, uh...it's been four years...so, I...uh...got you...this." Dante fumbled in his pockets and took out a little blue box, held it out; then he proceeded to glare at his reflection and punched at the wall with his clenched fist. "Fuck. What the hell am I doing? This is stupid."

Grumbling and mumbling and muttering to himself, he rammed the box back into his pockets and scrubbed at his unshaven face with his palm. Dante had spent several hundred dollars getting a ring. Not his coat, the beautiful trenchcoat that he saw in the shops that he really liked with the red lining and smooth hide which practically cried out to him whenever he walked past it but no, he got himself a ring instead. A silver ring with a diamond that he believed she would like. He went through hell to get it, having to step into those ridiculously, stupidly, brightly-lit establishments where homosexual men in preened suits and coiffed hair stood behind glass counters smelling like one million dollars. Despite the dirty looks he received, he nabbed his present after some consideration and came home proud of his selection.

Now the problem was how to...well, propose to her without sounding stupid or sappy. Or both.

Heck, what if she said no?

He hadn't thought of that possibility. No, not even that...He hadn't even thought about proposing. It never crossed his mind. He didn't even see himself as a man who could be tied down. He had thought he'd be the bachelor kind, to be single and free...

...But Trixie had been with him for four years. Surely that meant it was time to move up the relationship ladder and he knew he should be the one to do something about it. They had a healthy relationship – full of spats and sex and some meaningful conversations every now and then. Asking her to marry him wouldn't change anything, right? It just meant she might be expecting some fancy, luxurious event where she got to wear a flowing, graceful white gown and veil and he would have to wear a shirt and tie.

Oh, how _lovely_ that sounded. So what was the other option?

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened and he turned to see Trixie stepping inside with her hair disheveled and messy. She looked at him tiredly then stood beside him in front of the mirror and grabbed her toothbrush and mug, filling it up with hot water from the taps. As she brushed her teeth, she turned to him. "...What are you doing?"

"Shaving." He said quickly, grabbing his razor and some shaving cream. He slapped some of the white foamy stuff on his chin and neck before he began to rake the blade over himself whilst she continued brushing her teeth.

Once she was done, she wiped her mouth clean with her flannel and he had also finished shaving. Turning to him again, she smiled and leaned towards him on tiptoe, kissed him on his smoothly shaven cheek before she promptly stepped out of the bathroom. He watched her retreating back in the reflection and was about to follow her until his pocket vibrated. His cell phone – or more like, Trixie's cell phone - was ringing. He swiped it open to realize it was Sullivan calling him. "Yeah, what is it now?" He barked as he pressed the phone over his ear.

"Dante, come to my office immediately. We need to discuss about last time."

He groaned. "I thought I already told you."

"Yes, I know, but this is something else."

"Bullshit. You want me to kill a fucking human. Go do it yourself. Oh wait, you're too fucking up your own ass to go and do it yourself and get your hands dirty, isn't that right?"

"Dante! Listen to me! I really need your help, please!"

He went silent for a brief moment; Sullivan sounded rather desperate – not that he was swayed by tears nor was he one to be sympathetic - yet as he juggled the ring box in his pockets, he frowned before he uttered, "...Alright, alright... Gimme ten minutes." He hung up, then exited the bathroom swiftly, grabbing his coat and boots, "Trix? I'm heading out..."

"Where are you going?" He heard her ask from the kitchen.

"I'm gonna tell that piece of shit Sullivan that I'm not gonna do this anymore." He replied, as he grabbed his jacket and shoes. "I've had enough. He can go fuck himself."

Trixie entered the lounge with a spatula in hand from the kitchen. "Dante, wait."

"What?"

"...What will you say to him?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. But I'm sure as hell not going to kill a human for him. We might lose the trailer, but..." Dante reached over and pressed his large palm over the side of her face, "I'll take care of you. Don't worry."

She gave him a wry smile, then nodded and placed her hand over his. "Be careful." She said.

He kissed her on the forehead briefly. "I will. See ya." Without another word, he left the trailer but took the time to glance over his shoulder. She was waving at him from the window.

And that would be the last time he would see her.

* * *

**LATER**

Sullivan glanced at the folder then leveled his gaze with Dante. However, Dante merely shook his head and jabbed his finger at his direction angrily. "No. I've said it once. I'll say it again for the last fucking time. Get it through your skull; the answer is no."

Sullivan feigned surprise, "No? What if I gave you money – " The man began taking out a cheque and scribbled down quickly on it with a black ballpoint pen. "Here. Ten thousand dollars. Take it." Sullivan waved the cheque in front of him, hoping he would accept it. "Get yourself something nice."

Immediately, the trenchcoat he really liked which he had been telling Trixie about the other day swarmed into mind, but Dante shot him a sour look. "_Fuck off_, Sullivan. I'm not taking your money."

"Why? Is it your girlfriend? Is she telling you what to do, what not to do?"

"It's got nothing to do with Trix. Don't you fucking bring her into this. You're not even worthy to say her name." He spat, "In fact, that's the real reason why I'm here - I'm done. Find someone else to do your dirty work. I quit."

Whilst Sullivan stared at him in horror, he turned and left the office, his heavy boots plodding loudly down the hallway. "Dante!" He yelled, "Dante, get back here right now!"

Dante turned round aloofly, extending his middle finger at Sullivan with a tantalizing smirk.

Sullivan was seething, the cheque crumpling under his shaking fist. Shen stood beside him, watching Dante's retreating back with a wide grin, and Sullivan thumped his clenched fist hard over the table's surface, causing documents and other ornaments to rattle loudly. "The little bastard!" He roared, "After everything I've done for him! I've given him everything he wanted but he won't fucking touch a human! Just one measly fucking human!"

Shen merely chuckled mercilessly in response to Sullivan's anger.

"Shen!" Sullivan screamed, "I want you to teach that asswipe a lesson. Start with that girlfriend of his. She must be his fucking moral compass. You saved her life once, you can take it away too. I don't care what you do, but make sure you let Dante know that no-one fucks with me and gets away with it, got it?"

"Yes, Mr Sullivan..." Shen crooned, before he stepped backwards with a bow, vanishing into the shadows.

...

Whilst Dante had gone to see Sullivan, Trixie sat on the couch with a pen and paper in hand, wondering how to put this down in the best way. Frankly speaking, she took one look around the trailer and believed there was more to her life than...well, this. Not that she was complaining or anything, no, she loved Dante. She loved him to bits. However, the encounter with the spooky woman had confused her, and now strange thoughts that had never occurred to her before came popping up into mind. She kicked herself mentally for shunning the woman that day and wondered if she might come back.

Trixie had so many questions:

Was that woman really her mother?  
Why was she abandoned?  
Who was her father?

_I've never wondered about all this since I started living with Dante. __And I've never even thought about wanting to find out about my family until now..._

Now she was thinking of leaving Limbo City for a while, maybe two or three days, to look for traces of her family. The encounter with the woman had kickstarted a faint glimmer of hope, in which she might actually find out who she truly is and who her family really were.

She glanced around the trailer again, glancing at the strip of four photographs which were printed from a booth at Funland. They stuck it to the fridge by magnets. It featured Dante and herself; he despised taking photos but she dragged him with her that day and they made funny faces at the camera. One photo had her grinning cheerfully whilst Dante held two fingers behind her head. Another photo had her sitting behind him with her arms wrapped around his neck whilst he scowled. She giggled to herself.

_Dante, _She proceeded to write down, _These kinds of things have always been extremely difficult to talk about, especially because I'm not going to give you any notice, but I've decided to leave you- _

Growling in frustration, she stopped in her efforts, put the pen down. _No, that's not what I mean._ _I have decided to __**leave**__, but I'm not leaving forever, like leave and never turn back, that kind of leave. I'm just going to get a bus out of town and have a little look around for my family, I'll be gone for a few days, then I'll come straight back, duhh. _She mentally debated other ways to get her point across, but then decided to give up and took out her locket. She glanced at the dirty silver pendant in hand and turned it around and around. There was nothing out of the ordinary except from the symbol on the front but she didn't think much about it.

_Seal of Barachiel_, she thought. _My father..._

Trixie jostled, jerking out of her thoughts when their clock beside her began to ring; she glanced at it, before her eyes widened to the size of saucers. Ten am. It was time to get ready for work.

She abandoned the note for now, tucking it away into a drawer for the time being, she hurriedly grabbed clean underwear and her work clothes and shimmied into them, grabbing her brush and combing her hair at the same time.

Trixie would be working a long shift at the diner today. She wouldn't be home until late into the evening so she left some leftovers for Dante in the fridge so he wouldn't be hungry when he came back. Although she didn't know if she would be able to go to work after what happened, she decided it was better to just ignore it and continue with her usual regime, acting as if nothing had happened. She had a pickup van which she kept at Sullivan's Impound Lot near the Bellevue Pier which she would use to drive to her work, and once she entered the lot, she saw Saul sitting on a rocking chair at the front of the store with a dog sleeping beside him on the ground.

"Afternoon, Beatrice." greeted the old man in his southern drawl, dangling her keys high in the air.

"Hi Saul." She replied as she took the keys off him, before Saul turned to the dog and let out a low whistle. A few seconds later the black and white Shetland dog beside him raised its ears and opened its eyes. "Heya Nero, how are you?" She cooed, before she lowered herself to the ground and welcomed the dog with open arms as it padded towards her, tail wagging energetically before it began licking her face affectionately. "I missed you too."

"He missed you more." Saul said, chuckling, "Before I forget, someone was askin' for you the other day."

"Who?"

"Some fancy-lookin' gentleman; he was...tall, about this height...had really fair hair, dressed in clothes only rich folk wear. You know anyone like that?"

"...No, not that I know of." She muttered under her breath. "Why was he asking for me? What did he want?"

"Dunno...wouldn't tell me nothin'. Didn't leave behind a name or number. Jest asked if I recognized you since he had yer picture. I didn't tell him anythin' and he left without another word. He was mighty polite too, all proper and stuff."

"...I don't know anyone who might be looking for me. It could be one of those loan sharks."

"Probably. That's why I didn't tell him anythin' in case he hurted you."

"Thank you, Saul. I gotta go; thanks again."

"No problem. See ya. Take care, missus."

"You too." She waved at Saul, left him in his rocking chair to watch over the Impound lot, went to her van and unlocked the front door. Trixie slid into the driver's seat and started the engine before steering it outside. Before long, she was on her way to Limbo City Center, joining a moderately busy traffic lane. However, Saul's words continued to worry her.

_A man asking for me? A woman claiming to be my mother...What's going on? _

...

"Trixie, order for table number ten is ready!"

She glanced up from the table she had been cleaning and nodded. "Got it!" She said, before heading towards the direction of the kitchen with her cleaning supplies in hand. She placed them behind the counter before re-adjusting the straps of her apron, tightening it around her waist where they were falling loose ever-so-slightly, and grabbed the plate off the hotplate with the receipt in hand.

"Hmm, Asiago Peppercorn Sirloin with Lobster tail." She murmured under her breath. This was the most expensive item on their menu...

Trixie rounded to the designated table and once she had arrived she saw a young man sitting on his lonesome at the booth with his black homburg hat covering most of his features from her view as he kept his head low, elbows on the table, his leather gloved-hands clasped together as if in thought. A steaming cup of hot black coffee sat beside his napkin.

"Here you are sir, your Asiago Peppercorn Sirloin with Lobster tail, thank you for waiting," Trixie announced as she settled the platter before him, "Would you like some Parmesan cheese with that?"

He did not look up at her. "...No, that won't be necessary."

A simple 'no, thank you' would have sufficed and she was slightly taken aback. She thought it was strange to see such a well-dressed man sitting alone but she brushed it off; perhaps he was waiting for someone. Then again, their restaurant didn't attract much interesting clientele except from working-class families and couples who could only afford their burgers and chicken dishes. The man himself was dressed in an elegant, black coat with the collars slightly upturned, finished with elaborate blue embroidery. No doubt, a rich man indeed. "Okay, then if you need anything then just let me know."

"Yes, thank you - " He finally glanced up to her in acknowledgement. Smiling softly, he added, "Beatrice."

Trixie's eyes widened in surprise. Two things surprised her – first, he knew her name. The second was the fact that he was splitting image of Dante. "You – "

"Trixie! Order for table number twelve is ready!"

She leapt in her spot and turned to the chef behind the kitchen's window, who was rapping at the pane with spatula in hand.

"Trixie! Get here right now!"

"...O-oh, s-s-sure..." She hastily excused herself from the man as he continued to watch her. Tearing her eyes away from him, Trixie made her to the direction of the kitchen, although she began removing her apron at the same time. Panic rose within her at once. _I need to get out of here. Something's not right. _She strolled into the kitchen but made her way towards the staff changing rooms, ignoring the chef who began barking at her and waving his spatula at her angrily.

"Trixie! Where are you going?!"

Trixie began to run now, sprinting towards the changing rooms. She grabbed her belongings and left the diner through the backdoor, pushing it hard that it swung loudly on its hinges; throwing another glance over her shoulder, Trixie made her way down the alley until she noticed the buildings surrounding her were beginning to change. She halted immediately, glancing around helplessly as the walls began to shift and retreat – some buildings began jutting outwards whilst lampposts began to bend, emitting loud creaks of protest. Panting, Trixie ran as fast as she could only to realize she was now in Limbo with no way out. Her eyes darted back and forth anxiously, "What the – "

And suddenly, a figure entered her view.

Trixie gaped at the familiar man dressed in a black uniform strolling towards her with a wide grin on his face. "...Shen?"

"Hello, Beatrice." greeted the demon, tilting his hat at her.

"What are you doing? W-why have you dragged me here?" She said, stammering slightly.

Once he approached her, he bowed politely; Trixie stepped backwards – although she had not spoken to Shen or interacted with him much, and although she knew that he saved her life once many years ago, his presence always caused a shiver to run down her spine. His presence did not bode well, especially since Dante was not here. "Master Sullivan has orders. I am terribly sorry...I assure you, it is nothing personal." Shen replied, before his exterior began to erode away, his demon guise resurfacing.

"What? What are you talking about – "

When his gargantuan claw came, she couldn't avoid it in time and in seconds, he slammed her into the walls of one of the buildings. He was so quick she didn't even have time to scream and Trixie crumpled to the ground immediately, unconscious. Shen slinked closer, his grin growing wider and wider as he scanned her unmoving body. She was out cold, blood trickling from her head. However, before he could muster one step, he heard footsteps approaching him and he turned.

"_Who's there?_" He snarled; his beady eyes settling on the forms of two men. They were both dressed in black. One young, one old. Upon further inspection, Shen tilted his head to the side curiously when he noticed that the younger man in black closely resembled Dante...

"My, my." muttered the older gentleman, "What do we have here?"

"Beatrice." The Dante-look-alike spotted the unconscious girl and made a move forwards but the older man shot out his arm, stopping him.

"No...let me handle this, Vergil." He muttered. Stepping towards the large demon, he said softly, "...You've hurt my daughter."

"_What are you – _"

Before Shen could complete his sentence, the man raised his hand and with a flick of his wrist, Shen's body promptly exploded and guts and gore splashed on the walls of the buildings surrounding them. A massive puddle of blood occupied the spot Shen had been previously standing. With the demon vanquished in mere seconds, the surroundings gradually returned to normal and they were back in the human world. Vergil left Barachiel's side and when he reached her, he lifted her into his arms.

"Beatrice?" He shook her gently but there was no response; his hand touched the back of her head and there was blood over his fingertips. "She's hurt."

"She will heal. Don't worry," Barachiel replied stoically, "...Bring her back to the mansion."

* * *

When he returned to the trailer, it was late in the evening and it was raining.

"Fuck this weather." Dante cursed under his breath as he barged into his trailer; he was soaked completely from the torrential downpour outside and shook himself free of rainwater, droplets flying from his hair. His jacket was damp and heavy and so where his boots, his jeans and vest clinging to his muscles. "Babe, I'm home." He announced loudly.

He was greeted with silence.

The lights weren't on but he hoped she was home and had hoped that she was probably sleeping; upon further inspection he squinted his eyes in the darkness and saw that the bed was empty. Dante switched on the lights and the tiny bulb hanging from the ceiling flicked onto life. Now he got a good view of the trailer in its entirety and he saw that it was empty.

"Trix, where are you?"

He opened the door to the bathroom only to see that it was empty, too. At first, he turned away and studied the rest of the trailer again, just in case he missed something. Anything.

"Fuck." He cursed, "Fuck...what's going on? Where is she? Where could she be?"

She should be back from work by now. Where was she? Doing late night shopping? Meeting up with a friend? At the Devil's Dalliance? Returning to the lounge, he searched around for any notes she may have left behind to let him know where she may be. There was nothing, but he couldn't find her purse, her shoes, the keys to her van or her jacket. She'd gone somewhere. Grabbing the phone, he punched in her cell phone number and waited but it only went to her voicemail. He called the girls from the club but none of them saw Trixie at all. He called the diner only to discover that she had left hours ago.

"FUCK!" He roared, slamming the phone against the wall. He stood still in the spot, his mind swirling. "Trix?!" He yelled, "Trix?"

Something sticking outside the drawer caught his attention and he pulled it out. It was a letter. It said:

_Dante,_

_These kinds of things have always been extremely difficult to talk about, especially because I'm not going to give you any notice, but I've decided to leave you_

His eyebrows furrowed tightly as his fist clenched, the paper scrunching violently under the palm of his hand. _What? When had she written this? _Surely this was some kind of joke...? Why would she leave him? He stumbled out of the trailer and into the rain. He called her name again. Maybe she had gotten lost? No way, she knew Limbo City like the back of her hand. Again, Dante soon found himself floundering, panicking. He hadn't felt like this for a long time. He ran out of the trailer and into the rain. He called her name again.

"Trix, where are you?!" He yelled, glancing around the Pier. He made his way to the harbor but she wasn't there. He went all the way to the fairground but she wasn't there, either. He went to the diner to confirm for himself but she wasn't there. He interrogated the waitresses, the chefs, her manager. He frightened the customers, caused a scene, overturned some tables, smashed a few bottles on the floor and a few windows. He cursed, swore and yelled, punched holes in the wall. Then he got himself dragged out. He went all over Limbo City, he threatened people in the streets, he shouted and yelled for her again but he couldn't find her, and he didn't know where she could be. He didn't know.

Soon, dawn approached. He'd been searching for her all night, but to no avail. He returned to the trailer only to see that it was still in the state he had left it before he went out to actively look for her. She hadn't returned.

"Trix?!" He shouted, "Trix, where are you?"

He yelled her name again and again and again, but deep inside, he knew.

Trixie was gone.


	18. Three Years Later

Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews! Yep, if I was to write a Vergil fic it would definitely be on Classic Vergil. Keep your eyes peeled hehe. Hope you enjoy this chapter too! It's another time skip! Ohh the drama ~

**Warnings:** Adult situations early in the chapter (first paragraph, actually).

* * *

**THREE YEARS LATER**

He woke up to find a girl between his legs, sucking him, her cheeks going hollow. Immediately, he sat up in bed, frowning, "Who the fuck are you and what the hell are you doing? Get off!"

The girl released him and pouted, "But last night you liked it..."

His mind drew a blank but he figured it was a girl he picked up from the night before since his head was hammering and his thoughts were hazy. "...Yeah, well that was yesterday. This is today so get the fuck outta here."

Furious, the girl got up and scrambled out of the bed, grabbing her clothes before hastily dressing herself, throwing the garments on without much care. "Fine then! Next time you can suck your own dick for all I care! Don't come to me ever again!" She screamed at him as she opened the door of the trailer; however, before she could leave, he shot up from bed and grabbed her wrist.

"Where the fuck did you get that shirt from? That's not yours." He snarled, when she tried to jerk her hand free from his grip.

Glancing down at herself, she realized she'd picked up a white shirt which she didn't recall was hers at all. "You want this stupid shirt back? Fine." She huffed, taking it off before dumping it into his arms. Without another word, she stormed outside whilst brandishing her middle finger at him. "Fuck you, Dante. Fuck you!"

"Yeah. Whatever. Good morning to you too." He slammed the door shut with shirt in hand. The label on the collar said 'Trixie' in messy black permanent marker. He proceeded to return to his bed and safely stow away the shirt into the small cupboard, tucking it over a strip of four photographs that featured a girl and himself. He sat down on the edge of his bed to try and gather his thoughts but the hangover was insufferable. Reaching over, he grabbed another bottle of booze which he'd been drinking last night and downed a few gulps even though this only caused to heightened the ache. He welcomed the pain gladly, squeezing his eyes shut as his head throbbed.

Then he looked up and glanced around his trailer.

A stack of empty pizza boxes were piled high atop the small fridge under the counter. His sink was loaded with dirty cutlery and plates, which hadn't been washed in months. The kitchen light wasn't working and the lampshade was in the danger of falling from its place on the ceiling, the bulb dangling precariously on a thin wire. His blinds were covered in layers and layers of dust, the window pane greasy and covered in mold and black grit. The bed itself was a horror, with sheets that hadn't been changed in eons. His floor was littered with bottles of booze, ranging from his favorite 666 to Jack Daniels. Unfolded and unwashed clothes also joined the foray. When he squinted his eyes, he swore he saw a cockroach happily crawling around in the corner. Without a woman's touch, his trailer fell into a state of filth and disrepair, not that he really cared.

Trixie had been missing for three years now.

Dante had effectively honored her memory by sleeping with other women, participating in threesomes, orgies. Everything. He drank like a degenerate. He smoked sometimes too, breaking the promise. He let the trailer become filthy and rundown and never bothered with menial maintenance. This started after perhaps a year (or less) of her disappearance. She simply vanished into thin air and no-one knew where she had gone or what had happened. He only had the note as his clue and the more he looked at it, the more he despised it and a streak of helplessness and even fear overcame him. He did not deny that he felt abandoned, left behind, forgotten. Whatever it was, whether she truly did leave him or if something befell her, Trixie was gone from his life. He spent a long time searching for her but one day, it wasn't like he had given up on her or anything, but he woke up and he realized he'd slept with someone else. There were no feelings involved and it wasn't because he was lonely or deprived. It was a one night stand and she left the next day and he had no idea who she was but since then, his regime had turned to this.

Had he moved on? Did he even feel guilty? Was this perhaps a coping mechanism? Dante wasn't even sure himself. Again, not that he cared. He'd accepted the fact that he was going to die alone and early, someday. Probably from a sexually transmitted disease, at his rate. His phone suddenly started ringing, and with a quick glimpse he saw that it was someone he had not seen or heard of from a long time.

Sullivan.

He mentally debated whether to answer it or not but then picked it up and held it to his ear. "What?"

At first, he heard heavy breathing from the other end and considered hanging up until - "Dante?" A frail, elderly voice eventually wheezed out.

He did a double take. "...Sullivan? That you?"

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

She woke up, her eyelids fluttering open.

She had a nice dream; it was one of those dreams where she didn't want it to end. One of those dreams which she'd had more than once. Recurring dreams. She would always dream of a place not quite like this, not like her mansion home. Instead, it took place in a dingy and small space and she would always dream of a young man who would be there with her. She found it disheartening that she would never be able to discern his face or his name. Those crucial aspects were always a blur in her dream, a darkened haze in the depths of her mind. However, in those dreams, something informed her that this mystery man loved her. And she knew that he loved her, and that he loved her passionately. She wanted to know who he was, if he truly existed only in her dreams or if he was real and out there, somewhere.

And then she would wake up in her spectacular mansion home, feeling strangely out of place and discontent.

Every early morning, she did her usual, somewhat mundane routine. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, put some moisturizer on and left the ensuite after inspecting herself for a few brief moments. Her wardrobe was supplied with clothes she never chose herself; they had always been chosen for her in advance. Today, a maid lay out a white sundress and a pair of mid-heels which she swapped for some flats instead. She would've been happy with a pair of jeans or a t-shirt and converses. She wasn't allowed to comb her hair; a maid would always do that for her, sitting her down at the vanity desk whilst brushing and combing through all the knots and tangles and then they would always leave her hair long and trailing over one shoulder, the way he liked it. She merely looked at her reflection as they proceeded to apply some make-up on her. Personally she wasn't sure if they were not only maids but also stylists.

"Master Vergil will be very pleased when you join him for breakfast." One of the maids said, marveling at her handiwork whilst she glanced at her reflection.

She tore her eyes away from the mirror. "Vergil's still here?" Usually he would have left the manor by this time; he would be at The Order Headquarters.

"Yes, m'lady. Master Vergil deliberately postponed a meeting as he would like you to accompany him this morning."

"...Oh, okay." She said, and she left her bedroom, leaving the maids to make her bed, straighten the sheets and pillowcase and to dust and hoover and polish and she strode down the large fancy marble staircase and into the hall where more butlers and maids were busy tidying up. She spotted Vergil; he was adjusting his tie as he stood in front of a large mirror at the end of the hall.

"Good morning, Beatrice." He murmured, catching sight of her.

"Morning, Vergil." She went to his side and he turned round to face her, "Here, let me get that for you."

He smiled when she helped him did his tie, her lithe fingers working the flimsy but expensive material. She clipped it into place with the pin once she was done and dusted him down, smoothing down his lapels. "You look very beautiful today." He said, and she smiled in response, "Shall we?" With his hand on her back, he gestured to the dining room.

She nodded and he guided her inside. There was a massive table before them, one long vertical stretch of pure handcrafted mahogany covered by a white linen cover. More maids and butlers tended to the table, setting out china plates of salad, toast, warm foods, cereals, pitchers of milk and orange juice. She took her usual seat at one side of the table with Vergil holding out the chair for her before he slid into his own seat, the one at the very end of the table. Butlers and maids went to their side immediately, taking their folded napkins, unfolding them and draping the pieces over their laps.

And then they started eating.

"Did you sleep well last night?" He asked.

"Yes. And you?" She replied.

"I did."

"The maids said you deliberately postponed your meeting."

"Did they?"

"It's not their fault. They said you just wanted to spend more time with me."

"Yes. Does that make you happy?"

"You don't have to do that for me. I know how busy you are."

"It doesn't mean I neglect you."

She gave him a light smile in response. They continued eating, although she would occasionally sneak some quick glimpses of him. The dream she'd just had escaped her mind completely for Vergil's face was familiar to her - looking at him always made her at ease, made her calm and peaceful.

"Beatrice?"

She snapped out of her thoughts, "Huh?"

"Are you alright?" He must've caught her staring.

"Y-yeah. Oh, the muesli's really good." She said, before she grabbed a glass of orange juice and gulped some down, "Here, have some. I recommend it."

He chuckled, "Yes, perhaps I'll give it a try."

She helped him bring the muesli over and took the spoon but a maid beat her to it and the servant was now unloading spoonfuls of muesli into an empty bowl before laying it carefully beside him. Whilst she watched with her lips pursed, he thanked the maid, wiping his mouth neatly with a clean napkin.

"When is your piano lesson?" He suddenly asked.

"Three pm."

"Good, I shall observe."

"What? Noooo." She moaned, "I don't like playing when someone's watching. I get nervous and I end up making lots of mistakes."

"Then how will I know how much you've improved?"

She pouted whilst he smiled at her. "Alright, fine, but just to let you know I'm not good at all."

Breakfast continued until an elderly butler entered the room and stopped by Vergil's side. "Excuse me, Master. Many apologies for disrupting you but I have received a phonecall from the headquarters; your presence is required immediately. They have discovered his location, Master." Vergil waited expectantly and Arkham whispered, "_Bellevue Pier._"

At once, Vergil stopped eating and Beatrice averted her gaze from the butler to the young man. "Excellent." He got up to stand as Arkham presented him his jacket, hat, cane and gloves. Turning to Beatrice, he said, "I'll be back soon."

"No worries." She said, watching him leave without another word whilst donning his outerwear. Once he was gone, she gazed around the rest of the table and glanced at the maids and butlers, then continued eating on her lonesome.

...

When Dante arrived at Limbo City Central Hospital, he found Sullivan's room and entered without knocking. A nurse stood by the bed which was occupied by an old man with a crown of silvery-white hair. At first, he wondered if he had got the room wrong but the nurse confirmed this was indeed, Anton Sullivan's room before she excused herself to give them some time. Dante found himself awkwardly seating himself on the stool beside the old man who raised a shaking, veiny thin hand to remove his breathing mask.

"...Ah, Dante...you're here." The old man wheezed out, "I thought I should see you one last time."

"Sullivan?" Dante said, "...What happened to you? Why are you...old?" It had only been three years; here was Sullivan, a ninety-something year old man.

"After Shen vanished, I began to age rapidly." He croaked, "...It was the payment for Shen's services."

"...You exchanged your youth?"

Sullivan was wheezing gently on the bed, nodding. "I gave him...everything." It seemed with Sullivan's old age, he appeared more content and lenient when speaking to Dante, "I don't have much time left, but...I'm fine."

"...Anything I can do for you?"

With that, Sullivan gave a dry and wheezy, squeezy chuckle. "Look around you, Dante...I have nothing left. There is nothing that can be done. You can't turn back time...or undo a deal with a devil."

Dante glanced around the empty room; there were no get well cards or any gifts at all. "Well, why'd you call me here anyway? Where's your family?"

"I told you...I gave him _everything_."

"...Where is Fluffles anyway?"

"Gone. Vanished. Three years ago. I never told you this, but...I sent him after her."

His eyebrows furrowed immediately. "What do you mean?"

Sullivan's eyes went wide slightly as he tried to speak, emitting more wheezes, "That day...at my office, when you refused to kill that human...and told me you had wanted to quit...I sent him after her. I ordered Shen to kill her."

He rose from his seat. "...You did _what_?!" Seizing him by the collar of his hospital gown, Dante lifted his frail body off the bed that he was now eye-to-eye with Sullivan; anger coursed through his system, burning like fire. Immediately, his tone had changed to one of rage. "_You fuck_. You killed her!? It was you?!" He growled viciously.

Sullivan let out another breathless laugh. "...She was hindering you, Dante. If only you'd said 'yes' that day."

"You bastard! I should've known it was you all along! What the hell did you do to her?! What the fuck did you do?!" He snarled, shaking Sullivan to and fro violently, "TELL ME!"

Before Sullivan could reply, the monitor beside him began beeping rapidly and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Dante let go, watching him tremble and quake ferociously on the bed. Immediately, nurses and doctors began piling in and the curtain was pulled around the bed; they ushered Dante out of the room despite his vocally loud, rude protests. Eventually he had to be dragged out and the door slammed shut behind him. Security was coming, they said, Leave immediately. Dante watched behind the window, watching through the tiny gap of the curtain as they tried to resuscitate Sullivan. When all failed and the heart monitor went flat, the doctors shook their head and the blanket was pulled over his head.

Sullivan was dead and Dante left the hospital, seething with bitter rage.

...

She checked the clock on the wall. It was three fifteen in the afternoon. Vergil hadn't come back.

"Beatrice!" snapped a voice. It was her piano instructor, a snooty old lady with an upturned nose and haughty manner who brandished a cane. Tapping the thin stick against the piano's sleek exterior, Beatrice winced slightly and turned to her.

"Uh – what? Yes?"

"Focus! Start again, from the beginning."

Nodding, she glanced at the music sheet in front of her and resumed playing, letting her fingers wander over the keys meticulously. For some reason she couldn't seem to concentrate on today's lesson and the mistakes kept piling up, much to her instructor's frustration. As the minutes ticked by, an hour was already up and Vergil had not returned to the mansion despite his earlier promise. When Beatrice was finally able to leave the music room after the one hour's lesson, she returned to her own room and began to get ready for her horse riding lesson at the nearby equestrian center.

Her days were usually like this; full of lessons and she didn't know why she took them. Vergil was the one who had organized these for her. After breakfast and she would have some classes. When she had some time to herself, she went outside to sunbathe by the pool for a while. She would have a violin lesson in mid-afternoon. Then she played for a few minutes with her cat, _Katy Purry_ and her small dog _General Ginger Beefy_. Then it would be some literature class or a language class. With the time left before the next lesson she sat on the large swing in the courtyard which she'd decorated with flowers and ribbons.

After the final lesson of horse-riding, Beatrice was tired. It was getting late, and upon return to the manor, she was looking outside the window, staring at the sunset over the horizon as the car went speeding down the road to the way home. However, when the car suddenly went chugging and a low rumbling noise could be heard, Beatrice looked up whilst the driver let out a curse under his breath.

"What's the problem?" She asked.

"I think we have a flat tyre, Miss Beatrice." said the driver; he pulled the car to a stop by the side of the road and he hastily slid out of the driver's seat and to the front of the car. "Yep." He confirmed, "Looks like we got a flat."

Rolling up his sleeves, he proceeded to go to the boot and he unlocked it. Beatrice sat up in her seat and scrolled down the window. "What do we do?"

"Don't worry, Miss Beatrice, I'll get it fixed in no time."

"How long will it take?"

"Just a few minutes."

"Okay. Be quick, I'm hungry. I want dinner." She said, and he chuckled.

"Yes, Miss Beatrice, I'll fix it as quickly as I can."

With that said, she returned to sit properly in her seat with her arms crossed until she glanced outside the window; she could see a fairground built entirely upon a harbor and she could see hundreds of families, children, young teenagers and some elderly couples within, the atmosphere filled with laughter and cheerful music. A large ferris wheel outlined with multicolored lights flashed brilliantly in the darkening sky whilst a carousel stood beside it proudly, painted in gold and silver with statues of beautifully elaborate horses going around and around in circles. Intrigued, she unclipped her seatbelt then she eased the door open for a closer look.

"Miss Beatrice?" asked the driver, when he noticed that she'd left the car. With a toolkit he had fetched from the car, he had been busy propping up the busted right tyre to examine the puncture in greater detail.

"What is this place?" She murmured as she began to make her way towards the pier.

"Bellevue Pier, m'lady." The driver stood up and dusted his gloved palms, "M'lady? Please don't stray too far – "

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to get a closer look."

"M'lady! Miss Beatrice, come back!" The driver began yelling, following after her.

She ignored him and began running towards the direction of the harbor. She stopped at the gates, glancing up and around in amazement, watching the crowds of people inside in fascination. The ferris wheel caught her eye, along with the candy floss and rifle stands. She smiled to herself and whilst the driver bumbled after her, she took her time wandering around until she ended up at the ocean.

Beatrice watched the sea before her before she began taking off her shoes. Around her, there were couples sitting side-by-side each other or in intimate embrace. Some children ran around and some were building sandcastles with their parents. Glancing around, she felt oddly alone. She made her way towards the water, wading further and further until the water went to her ankles and she could hear the seagulls crying, feel the cool breeze on her face, the water lapping at her toes. She closed her eyes and inhaled gently.

A jacket was suddenly thrown over her and she turned to see that it was only the driver. "Miss Beatrice, what are you doing?"

"...I feel like I've been here before." She muttered, "Do you get that sometimes? When you feel like you've been, or done something before, but you can't remember when or where?"

He pondered to himself. "Miss Beatrice, perhaps it's just déjà vu? I get that sometimes." He suggested.

She watched him carefully. "...Yes," She eventually agreed, "Maybe it's just déjà vu."

"Shall we go back? It's getting late. Master Vergil will get worried."

"Yes, let's go back."

...

Meanwhile, Dante had gone to Devil's Dalliance.

He threw some cash on the bar and downed five bottles of beer one after the other. He had one mission in mind and that was to get roaring drunk that he wouldn't even be able to walk in a straight line properly. After he downed the last bottle, he thought he saw a demon harassing a hapless man at a booth and chucked his bottle at it. Obviously it disappeared and a few bouncers came over. He brawled with them, even though he was deeply intoxicated before he managed to shake them off by heading to the far side of the club. Two angel strippers caught his eye; they were dancing together and touching each other and it caught his interest. He couldn't remember much but he remembered he was suddenly in a taxi going home with those two angels by his side and he took them to his trailer. His jacket disappeared somewhere and the angels were playing around with Ebony and Ivory and then they were in his bed with him, worshipping his body and fawning over him and -

Dante woke up.

It was morning.

Another day had passed, and he couldn't even remember what had happened or what he had done.

The TV was on even though he couldn't remember switching it on. Bob Fucking Barbas was on the screen, yammering away on his twenty four hour talk show about masked terrorists and other bullshit he didn't give a rat's ass about. He sat up in bed and flexed his muscles, all the scrapes and fingernail marks vanishing from his body. He reached over and grabbed a bottle of 666 and drunk a few gulps, but first he noticed the words on his arm etched in red.

_Hell of a night! Call us!_

Turning his arm around, he didn't see any number or whatever. They must've forgotten to write it down or assumed he already knew what their numbers actually were.

_Whatever._

He had no intention in seeing them again. He couldn't even remember their faces. He just remembered one was blonde and the other was... well...she was something. His mind, yet again, drew a blank. He glanced around the rest of his trailer, which was covered in the old pizza boxes and empty alcohol bottles. The first thing that sprung onto his mind was Trixie and how she disappeared three years ago. Trixie. Trixie, Trixie, Trixie. Every single morning, without fail.

However, this time, something was different.

He knew.

She was dead.  
She had been killed.  
She had been killed by a demon, and he failed to protect her.

All this time, he didn't know until three years later.

It was too late.

And then there was the knock on the door.

"Dante!" exclaimed a voice, "Get out of there, you're in danger!"

If only he knew that the rest of his life from now on would get crazier.

* * *

**Notes:**  
Yay, we are now at the start of the game. And before you jump to conclusions, I want to say I did not plan this to be a love-triangle with Dante x OC x Vergil, unless you want a love triangle because I'm kind of unsure myself if I want Vergil to have some romantic feelings for Trixie as it wasn't what I had planned at all. Plus, it'd be Mary Sue.

Anyways, Dante is also now 23 and he has now become the disenfranchised youth he is in the game. Reckless, hedonistic and immoral, he has lived the past 3 years in a haze after Trixie's disappearance. Beatrice is now a tad spoiled and living a cushiony, privileged life with Vergil whose face she finds is 'familiar'.


	19. Vergil's Fiancee

Hi all, thanks for the reviews :) I'm really surprised by how much positive feedback this story is receiving. It's good because DmC Dante needs more love.

Many apologies for the late update though, I've been hit with writer's block and lack of sleep due to some personal happenin's. Suddenly my story has become disjointed and fragmented as I try to accommodate it to suit the stuff in-game.

This story therefore will tie-in with the game but at the same time I won't write about the events that happen in the game, there may still be some but... ie, I'm not going to re-write ingame scenes because you all know what happens and there is no point in writing out what happens and slot an OC in and have her chip in like one quote or something which won't even change the story in any way; instead I will try to focus on things that are NOT shown, for eg, more conversations between Dante and Vergil, or Vergil and Kat after/before missions.

* * *

**VERGIL'S FIANCEE**

On the TV, the ferris wheel of Funland spun halfway across the fairground, destroying everything in its wake. Beatrice watched the scene play out on the flashing screen with widened eyes whilst he dressed himself in front of the mirror, wrapping the length of his silk tie around the collar of his neck.

"This is crazy." She muttered, grabbing the remote control to lower the volume once the footage finished, "I hope no-one's hurt."

"Why are you watching that?" Vergil asked.

"Kat's there. I'm worried."

"She'll be fine." He said with a chuckle, and once he finished with the tie, he tucked it underneath his waistcoat and clipped it to his shirt with the pin, then began adjusting the lapels of his jacket and he turned to her.

In response, she smiled, climbed off the bed and walked over, stopping in front of him. "You look good." She commented before she reached over and brushed off a tiny speck of dust off his shoulder, "How are you feeling?"

He watched her idly with a smile as she fussed over him, "I'm fine. I need to get going. They should be there by now; I don't want to keep them waiting."

She nodded. "Sure, I'll see you when you get back. What did you say his name was again?"

"Dante." He murmured, before he took his hat and cane – which cleverly concealed his blade – and he strode away from her side and towards the door of the bedroom, placing his hat over his snowy-white hair and tilting the piece to fit properly over his head. "Aren't you going to be late for your lessons?"

"Nope, no lessons until the afternoon." She said, grinning slightly.

"I see. Then promise me that you'll stay out of trouble until then."

"Don't worry, I'll be on my best behavior, Vergil." She said as she waved him off; he left silently but gave her a look of caution. She gave him a sweet smile in return and continued to wave, "Byeee."

Before he made a move to leave, he added, "Beatrice, I'm sorry I missed your lesson the other day. Forgive me."

"It's okay, don't worry about it." She said as she watched him leave the room and close the door behind him, then scurried over and pressed her ear against the door.

Outside, she could hear him strolling down the stairs, his neatly polished shoes making a light tapping noise against the equally neatly-polished stairs outside. "Arkham?" She heard him say, his voice muffled.

"Yes, Master Vergil?" replied the elderly butler.

"Keep a close eye on Beatrice. I don't want her leaving the mansion whilst I'm gone."

"Yes, Master Vergil."

She frowned slightly and lifted herself off the door. Pursing her lips, she paced the room restlessly until she heard the sound of a car revving outside. Immediately, she sauntered to the window and climbed on the ottoman, peeking out behind the thick velvet curtains. She watched the black car from their massive driveway pull out and into the streets before disappearing round the corner. Vergil was gone. Smiling to herself, she got off the ottoman and went to the door, throwing it open only to see the old butler outside in the hallway.

"Many apologies, Miss Beatrice," said the butler, "...But Master Vergil does not want you wandering around the city in his absence."

"Awww, you're no fun, Arkham." She said, frowning deeply before she closed the door behind her.

* * *

**LATER**

The journey started off silent initially. He had met Kat – the gothic-looking girl who could see him in Limbo and assist him who wore that hooded top and those incredibly tiny denim pants exposing her stick-legs and scrawny ass – and then he met Vergil, his twin brother, and now he knew that he was Nephilim and the children of the demon Sparda and the angel Eva. His parents. He'd finally learned where he had come from and who his family were. And it only took him...what, twenty three years? Oh, what joy. He felt no true happiness despite the revelation. It was too late.

It was unfortunate she wasn't here to see it. He had often thought about the time when he would finally find out about himself. He once envisioned her to be by his side. She was not. He hadn't mentioned her to Vergil or Kat yet. He didn't mention anything about Trixie.

He sat beside his twin brother in the car wordlessly; Vergil was driving him to his house; Dante was to stay there for some time whilst Vergil's frogmen searched for his trailer in the ocean. When they found it, he guessed he would return to live there but he wondered how much of the trailer would be saved since the Hunter demon split it in half. The stay was also to show Dante the kind of lifestyle Vergil lived whilst Dante lived a life of abuse and solitude and constant transferals from one facility to another. The more he heard about Vergil's life compared to his own, the more it was apparent Vergil lived a privileged, hassle-free life, having been adopted into a wealthy, munificent family whilst Dante was dropped off at St Lamia's to be abused.

They did look identical but Vergil had white-blond hair. It occurred to Dante that he would inevitably end up with white hair too since he had discovered a few white strands every now and then. How the white hair growth rate accelerated for Vergil's case, he was unsure. It was also apparent they were polar opposites in terms of personality and character. Whilst Dante was hot-headed, brash and undoubtedly impulsive, Vergil, despite being his identical brother, was level-headed, rational and calm. Perhaps most importantly, Vergil was also very intelligent. He had many higher education certifications and qualifications under his belt, he could play more than three instruments, and he knew more than five languages. He had more than one degree and a doctorate. He was an expert hacker and had founded _The Order_ which was to fight the demons that were enslaving humanity. He had more than twenty members of staff working under him already. He was a promising young man with much to accomplish.

And since his trailer was destroyed by the Hunter demon in process and all his possessions basically lost in sea (or lost in Limbo, more likely), he didn't really have a place to live from now on, and it dawned to him that all his keepsakes of her were also no longer.

He contemplated the loss during the drive to Vergil's home, and finally, they had arrived. "We're here." Vergil said, pulling the car to a stop at the massive driveway before them.

"Nice pad." Dante commented, glancing around his surroundings. The garden was extraordinary; rows and rows of finely-sculpted hedgerows and grass sculptures lined the front of the mansion whilst beautiful, brightly-colored flowers dotted both sides of the driveway. It certainly seemed someone had put a rather extraneous amount of effort into making it look good. Before him stood a large mansion, two storeys high. He didn't think marvelous edifices like this would exist in Limbo City, but as Vergil had told him before, this was one of the well-off neighborhoods in Limbo City and not many people could afford to live in areas like these.

"This is my home." Vergil replied; they left the car and made their way up to the front door.

"What about your parents?"

"My foster parents have moved out and they've entrusted the mansion to my care."

"...Uh-huh..." Dante replied, trailing after his twin. A pair of butlers opened the door for them and Dante lumbered in after Vergil who strode inside. Another thing to note was that whilst Vergil carried the grace and quality of a sophisticated aristocrat, Dante prowled, swaggering around like a complete Neanderthal. A staircase was at the very front, branching off at the second floor to the left and right. The floor was pristine marble, polished and cleaned to precision that he could see his own reflection. The walls were painted pale ochre in color and they stretched high above his head at least ten feet or so; the great hall was complete with crystal chandelier, and Dante let out a whistle of appreciation. Whilst he couldn't imagine himself living in a place like this, it didn't mean he didn't like it.

Women in French-maid uniforms stood at both sides of the staircase and they all bowed in unison once Vergil stepped inside. "Welcome home, Master Vergil."

Dante watched all this with a smirk; turning to him, Vergil chuckled and said, "These are my servants; I have a room prepared for you upstairs. Arkham will show you later." Once the name was mentioned, an elderly butler stepped towards them, and Vergil began taking off his coat and hat, which the butler gladly took off him and into his hands. "Arkham, this is Dante."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr Dante."

"...Likewise." Dante replied, a little dryly.

"From now on, Dante will stay here whenever he likes, for as long as he likes. You will treat him with the same respect as you have for myself."

"Yes, Master Vergil." said the butler, before he retreated away with the rest of the maids; Dante watched the women in fascination.

"This way, Dante. Let's talk in here." Vergil gestured to one of the large double doors that led to the left and Dante followed him. He'd brought him to an elaborate trophy room containing all sorts of ornaments inside, ranging from medals, shiny plaques and plates, priceless antique vases, swords, stuffed animals and an array of statues. Vergil moved to the lounge area where three couches sat in front of a warm fireplace – the couches were one of those fancy, maroon leather seaters with lots of holes in them – and again, he gestured for Dante to sit down. "Well, what do you think?" Vergil asked.

Dante slid over one couch and patted the armrest, "Nice. I like it."

He chuckled, "Would you like a drink?"

"Yeah."

Vergil strode to the mini bar where he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He poured some out whilst Dante relaxed on the couch, leaning back comfortably. There was no coffee table to prop his feet up, only the skinned tiger rug before him where it's two glassy, empty bead eyes stared at him. Once Vergil returned, he handed Dante the glass and sat down opposite him on one of the couches, holding his glass up high. Dante copied his action and they both downed their own glass at the same time.

"This is good stuff." Dante said, eyeing the bottle on the counter. It was one of those expensive whiskies he'd never had the chance to taste due to the price tag.

"Indeed." Vergil agreed, "It's Balvenie. Forty years old."

He let out another whistle of appreciation. "You got a girl? You seriously can't be living in a place like this by yourself."

Vergil chuckled under his breath, balancing the glass in his hands, "Yes. I am to be engaged, soon."

"Alright. Good for you."

"What about yourself? Are you seeing anyone?"

He stiffened slightly, "No, I...uh...I lost her." He replied, a little awkwardly. Whenever he had to think about her, or whenever he was questioned about _her_, it always served to stir an awful feeling in the pit of his gut and he would attempt to avoid the topic altogether. To settle himself down, he hurriedly drank the contents of his glass.

"...I'm sorry to hear that, Dante." came Vergil's solemn, melancholic response, although he did not seem to enquire any further about the matter, "Would you like some more?"

Dante handed him the glass and Vergil poured some more into it before topping up his own. He muttered his thanks when Vergil returned the now-full glass to him. "So, who's the lucky gal? What's my future sister-in-law like?"

Vergil smiled lightly, "Hm. She's rebellious. Adventurous. I have a hard time keeping her in order."

Now it was Dante who chuckled. "Is she like us?"

"She's half-human, half-angel, just a hybrid. _Nephilim_ is the exclusive term for half-demon, half-angel breeds like us, Dante. I keep a close eye on her because I don't want her to get hurt."

"Keep her safe from demons and Limbo, you mean?"

"Yes."

"Does she fight?"

"No. She's unstable and has a hard time controlling her powers, and her abilities are limited due to her heritage." Vergil merely replied, "I do not wish for her to become involved with our cause, Dante. The battlefield is not a place for a woman."

"...What about Kat?"

Vergil took a while to reply to Dante's pressing question, "...Kat is different." He said, "She lives here with me. I'll introduce you but she's left the mansion for lessons." Vergil added, although he wouldn't divulge any further in what kind of 'lessons' the fiancée was attending.

_Wonder what she's like_, Dante thought whilst Vergil stood up in his seat, strolling to the counter to grab another bottle of whiskey. He didn't dwell on what Vergil's fiancee might be like; no doubt she was perhaps exactly the same as him, pristine and upper-class in terms of appearance and demeanor. Snobby, perhaps?

When Vergil returned with the whiskey, he asked if Dante wanted more. He agreed and Vergil poured more into his glass. They sat and talked, laughed and joked about their childhood, reminisced and mused about their parents and became melancholic when mentioning their mother's death and their father's eternal torture. They shared some tips on hunting and killing demons and inevitably, the hours ticked by just like that, and Dante found himself flopping over the luxurious couch, his head swimming; he had downed more than eight glasses of Vergil's whiskey collection.

Opposite him on the couch, Vergil sat with his head low, head in his hands with four empty bottles beside him on the floor. Outside and the sky was dark; he had no idea how long they'd been talking or drinking. Dante let out a chuckle and rolled to sit up properly. "You sure can drink, Verge. I didn't think you'd have it in ya. Ya proved me wrong." He slurred, waving his hand around drunkenly. Glancing around the room, he added, "Where's the bathroom? Nature calls."

Finally, Vergil looked up. "...Upstairs...take the first right...then it's the door to your left." He grunted out, then he lowered his head again, as though trying to gather his thoughts.

Dante murmured his thanks and pushed himself off the sofa, swaying to the door of the trophy room before grabbing hold of the stair's railing and he began to make his way up the stairs, taking each step at a time, plodding through. The amount of booze in his system made his vision hazy and unfocused – and the stairs seemed to go on forever, too – finally, Dante reached the hall and tried to remember Vergil's instruction as there seemed to be two directions he could go in – the right or the left.

_Shit. Was it the left? Or the right?_

He took the left, waddling drunkenly down the empty, brightly lit corridor.

When he saw the first door, he tried it only to realize it was locked. "WHAT THE FUCK." He slurred out loudly, before he began thumping his fist on the door. When nothing happened, he pulled away and continued his hazy journey down the hall and then tried another door. It was also locked. "Fuck it...guess I'll go here..." He grumbled, before he stopped at a plant pot in one corner. Settling his hands on his jeans, he was about to unzip his fly when –

"What do you think you are doing?"

It was a girl's voice.

He turned to the direction of the sound and tried to focus. A girl was standing before him with her arms crossed over her chest. Squinting his eyes, he could see she was wearing a pink negligee with black lacy embroidery. It was fairly short, exposing a decent amount of her legs, which he found were very long and supple. Dante smirked widely as he ogled her from head to toe, then pushed himself off the wall, drunkenly making his way towards her direction. She stepped away immediately as he went closer.

"So you must be the fiancée Vergil was talkin' about – " He paused in his sentence when he finally stopped before her and she stared at him beadily in response.

Dante's jaw suddenly went slack as he gazed at her. She was familiar. Very familiar. Suddenly, his vision cleared a great deal. As though seized by an ice-cold grip, his body went stiff, his chest constricted and he struggled to breathe, his throat going dry. His hands suddenly went clammy and a trickle of sweat dripped down his temple and the side of his face as they stared at each other.

_...Trix...?_

The girl gave him a suspicious look and as she opened her mouth to say something he abruptly reached out and grabbed her, pulling her forwards. She let out a squeak as he seized her by the sides of her face, forcing her to look at him. His eyes widened as they frantically searched her features. "W-what are you doing?" She yelped, "Let go! Vergil – "

"Trix?" He croaked out, "...Trix?"

Her eyes went slightly wide. "...What did you just call me?"

No, no, no...he thought she was missing, or dead. Wait, Sullivan didn't say anything of the sort. He only said he ordered Shen to kill her. Could she have survived? Could she have escaped? If that was the case, why didn't she return to him? Where did she go? Where did she vanish to, after all those years? As he grabbed her face, forcing her to look at him, he brushed his thumbs over her cheeks and traced her bottom lip, causing her to freeze up immediately on the spot. This girl before him... this girl looked like her. The face, the hair, the eyes. Everything! She _was_ her...

...But was it really her...?

Only one way to find out:

Dante proceeded to slam his mouth over hers, taking her by surprise by crushing his lips over hers roughly. She balled her fists, thumping on his chest in a bid to get him off her but it was no use as he wrapped one arm around her waist tightly, the other clamped around the back of her head, pressing her into him. Despite being intoxicated Dante was still undoubtedly powerful and he kissed her ravenously, pressing his lips over hers again and again; she continued her struggle but it was futile - and he ended up having to back her towards the wall so there was no escape as he kept her caged. He kissed her deeply, prying open her mouth before slipping his tongue in which had her eyes widening even further. It was definitely her; he'd kissed her so many times he remembered. He remembered this. He missed this.

She tried to get him off her but it was no use; he was too strong. He kissed her roughly, almost to the point that it was becoming uncomfortable. Mustering all her strength, she finally pushed him off her to some extent and slapped him across the cheek. He could've evaded that easily but for some reason he allowed her to strike him. It sent a jolt through his system, briefly bringing him to his senses. His cheek stinging, he glanced at her again as she tried to escape, wriggling furiously out of his embrace. It was no doubt, _her_.

Trixie.

Trixie, Trixie, Trixie.

This girl was Trixie. But how?

His head was throbbing, the alcohol still working its magic in his system; he hauled her into his arms and captured her lips with his own once more. "Trix," He murmured against her mouth, almost desperately, "Trix...Trix, Trix..." He kept chanting her name, pinning her against the wall by the wrists, kissing her hungrily and passionately.

And she struggled again, fighting him. The more she fought him the more she was unintentionally pressing her body against him. He could feel her breasts pushing against his chest, her legs brushing against his own. It was her; it just had to be. He knew Trixie's body well enough to recognize her. He continued to kiss and nibble at the contours of her mouth, moving away to her cheeks, jaw and the side of her face. She tried to escape again, hopping out of his embrace but he clutched her, kissing the side of her face and she wailed. Gradually, he stopped his harsh treatment and began to kiss her gently; she was stiff against him, rigid with fright.

As he continued to slowly and softly press his lips over hers, he murmured, "...Trix... It's me..." And the girl gaped at him mutely before his eyelids ultimately slid to a close and his knees gave way.

She stepped away immediately and he went crashing against the wall, crumpling to the floor in a heap. He was out cold. She stared wide-eyed at his unconscious form then hastily tidied her hair, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and tugged her nightdress down, then shivered all over. Calming her erratically beating heart, she glanced around but there didn't seem to be any servants around at this hour; it was too late in the night. And where was Vergil? Turning to the unconscious man on the floor, she stared at him in horror before she prodded and nudged him on the shoulder with her foot. Immediately she withdrew and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself in case he woke up. He did not wake up, except emit a loud groan and his eyebrows furrowed deeply.

She re-opened one eye and glanced over curiously. She watched him carefully, unconsciously brushing a finger over her tingling lips. Her eyes widened again when she realized what had just happened and her heart thudded a tad louder at the realization. This man had _kissed_ her. Even though he was positively reeking of booze that it made her scrunch her nose in disgust at the stench...he kissed her so passionately with so much longing and want and when he gazed into her eyes she felt unable to breathe, unable to move.

_And he called me...Trix?_

"Beatrice? Are you alright?"

She leapt slightly, jostled out of her thoughts and turned to see Vergil arriving at the landing; she forced herself to nod stiffly as he walked over and grabbed hold of the unconscious man, lifting him off the ground. The man let out an impossibly loud groan and Vergil had him looped over one shoulder. She was too scared to tell Vergil what had just happened and she was too scared to ask if he had heard or seen anything. Her lips still tingling, she uttered out, "Y-yeah, I'm okay."

"My apologies. I should have been watching him. You look shaken; did he frighten you?" Vergil murmured, as he hoisted the drunk with one arm draped over his shoulder.

"Oh, um, no...I'm fine. Vergil...is he..."

"Yes, this is Dante, my twin brother."

Her eyes almost bulged as she gawped in disbelief from Vergil to Dante, and back.

"Kat had the exact same reaction." Vergil said with a chuckle as Dante's head lolled around on his shoulder. "He's raw, just like you and Kat. It may take some time. Perhaps you can spare some time to teach him some proper etiquette when I am away?"

"Away?" She squeaked, "What do you mean?"

"Yes, unfortunately I have many meetings tomorrow so I won't be here for most of the day. During my absence, I'd like Dante to get settled in."

"He's staying here? With us?" She exclaimed, horrified.

Vergil nodded, "A hunter demon destroyed his home. Dante will be staying here for a while."

"Oh...I-I see."

"We'll talk more in the morning. It's late, Beatrice. You should be in bed."

She let out a sigh under her breath. "I was. I heard a disturbance outside and then you know..." She gestured flimsily to Dante, "...Oh, well, goodnight Vergil."

"Goodnight, Beatrice. I'll formally introduce you to him tomorrow before I go."

"Great, I'm er...looking forward to it," She said, turning away to retreat hurriedly towards the direction of her bedroom. Somehow the introduction of Dante into their lives didn't appear to bode too well for her...

* * *

**Notes**

Balvenie is a type of whisky that costs about $5000.

ARGHHH I had a hard time writing this chapter. The big question was "How? How do they meet each other again? HOOOOOW?!" *wrings hands tears out hair loses sleep for five days in a row*

Then when I figured that out it was:

"How will Dante react when he meets her again? How? HOOOOOOW?!" *smashes head over desk repeatedly*

I almost cried when writing this... honestly I couldn't think of a good way for them to reunite which would be kinda romantic. I had written several versions of their reunion. Eventually I stuck with this one...and I had Dante kiss her when he was drunk, even though she is Vergil's so-called 'fiancee' T_T

...which goes to my next point about the love triangle thing and I said there was going to be no love triangle so even though she is Vergil's 'fiancée' as it's quite apparent they don't really have romantic feelings towards each other... more like brother/sister as one of my readers has pointed out (you know who you are) ;) I'll clarify/explain in future chapters, I don't really want to keep telling you stuff via an author's note, I'd rather you gradually realize in due course as the story progresses.


	20. It's Complicated

Hey everyone, thanks for the reviews. Someone has asked if Lady will be introduced? No, sorry, since this is DmC, Lady is not present so she won't be here either. Lady is in my other DMC fic so you're welcome to read that. Anyway, I'll cut to the chase and I shall leave you to it...enjoy...

Warnings: Again, adult situations early in chapter (...first paragraph...)

* * *

**IT'S COMPLICATED...**

They were naked on the bed, entangled in each other's embrace. Dante lay on top of her, brushing her hair back and gazing into her eyes before leaning down and kissing her passionately. She moaned against his mouth and wrapped her arms around him; he clutched her tightly, thrusting into her roughly. "Trix, you feel so good..."

She giggled and squeezed him. "I love you, Dante."

_I love you too. I love you so much_, he thought. Closing his eyes, he panted as he continued his movements and just when he was close to coming -

"Dante?"

He stopped abruptly; Trixie. He'd heard Trixie's voice, but it came from behind him. Confused, he let go and turned round. Trixie was standing there, staring at him on the bed, horrified.

"...What...What is the meaning of this?" She squeaked; tears were prevalent in her eyes, "...How could you?"

"Trix?" came his stunned reply. If she was standing over there, then who was the girl he was with? Whipping his head round, he saw that it was not Trixie at all but some blond woman whom he didn't even know and immediately he let go of her. "What the - "

Immediately, Trixie began to leave the room when the girl lying underneath began to laugh. "What's the matter, Dante? I promised you a good time...all you had to do was call me 'Trixie'..."

"What? No!" He frantically scrabbled out of the bed and out of the room, grabbing his clothes; he could see her running down a long stretch of corridor. He chased after her which only caused the blond to snigger even louder, her howling, mocking laughter following him out. "Trix! Come back!" He yelled, but no matter how fast he ran after her, she was growing farther and farther away from him. Finally, she arrived at a door at the end of the corridor and she grabbed the doorknob, jerking roughly on it before disappearing from his vision. He scowled loudly, "Fuck! Trix, wait!"

When he arrived at the door, he opened it and paused in mid-step. Before him was a brightly-lit hospital room with a familiar old man coughing and wheezing on the bed in the middle. The old man perched atop the bed glanced over at him and cracked a smile, "Ohhhh. It's you." said the old man once Dante began glancing around cautiously, searching for any signs of Trixie. "What brings you here?"

"Where's Trix?"

"Gone. You lost her."

"What the fuck are you doing here, Sullivan?" He barked, "You're dead. This is a dream, right?"

"Yep, looks like it. Let me ask you one thing: what do you think you're doing? She's just a girl, Dante. You have bigger, more important things going on in your life right now."

"What do you mean?"

"You've met your twin brother for God's sake! You've found your family and found out what happened to your parents!" Sullivan exclaimed, "Don't ruin it!"

"How am I ruining it?"

Sullivan removed his breathing mask, stretching up in bed to clasp at his chest. "You still want her, Dante. Even after three years. You can't let her go but at the same time, you can't go back to her; she's to be engaged to Vergil soon. Who are you to stick your nose in their business? You have no place with them anymore. You certainly can't believe that you can go back to being with Trixie again."

He protested thoroughly. "Why not? I was with her first! I was with her for four years! I need to find out. I need to find out if-if that was really Trixie and if it was, if it really is, I need to find out how she met Vergil. I need to find out what happened three years ago. She doesn't remember me and I don't know why and - "

"Oh, cut the crap and listen to yourself! I lost my family too. I gave them up to keep all the money I had and to make more money and look what happened to me. You shouldn't make the same mistake I made. You'll ruin your own life, you'll ruin Vergil's life and her life. Don't you think she's in a better position now than she was when living with you? You saw Vergil's house. It's a fucking mansion! She's better off than being with the likes of you."

"Shut the fuck up, Sullivan." He snarled, "What do you know?"

"She's just a girl, Dante. You can get another one and to me it's not like you're gonna have any problems with that. Women just flock to you regardless. Trixie is replaceable, but Vergil isn't. Plenty of fishes in the ocean, Dante...but if you want to make her remember you and take her back to your god forsaken shitty trailer to live a crappy life with you then be my guest...but don't say I didn't warn you... and what will you say when she finds out you've been fucking random women for the past three years?"

"I..." He found himself at a loss for words, "I don't - "

* * *

Dante woke up with a start, panting.

It'd been a long time since he'd experienced a distressing dream, not that they were particularly common. His first thought was: Trixie.

He'd seen her last night, in this mansion. In Vergil's mansion, Vergil's home. He pinned her to a wall and kissed her. It was real, right? He wasn't imagining it? He wasn't drunk, delusional, or hallucinating? He sat up in bed abruptly, feeling disoriented, glancing around the unfamiliar surroundings – he was in a massive bedroom decorated with luscious, elaborate furniture, not his trailer. Whoa. This took some time getting used to. He was lying on the most ridiculously comfiest (and largest) bed one could ever sleep on and before him was a large stretch of space with a small dining set in one corner and a velvet sofa, fireplace and large flatscreen TV in another. Double doors beside one sofa led to a veranda outside. Thick, beige colored curtains and drapes hung from every window. The novelty of it all was very strange since he was unused to environments like these. Was he in a room or an actual apartment? It was so clean and large it was intimidating. For once, his standards of living were actually acceptable for a human being for a change. Letting out a groan, he rubbed at his face before rolling out of the bed to stand. Someone had even taken the liberty to dress him in a white vest and boxers since usually he slept naked.

He could see there was a bathroom to his right and he shuffled inside and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. Behind him he could see a large shower and hot-tub. On the wall beside him he squinted his eyes to see a panel indicating the various controls for things unknown. He pressed one button and the curtain before him began to peel backwards with a mechanical whir, displaying the marvelous view outside - namely Vergil's back garden where he saw a pool and a few deckchairs standing around. He pressed another button and the shower went on – although the water came from the ceiling and not from the shower head itself. He switched that off quickly and pressed his thumb over another button. This time the light in the shower cubicle began to glow blue, then softly dissolved to purple, then green, and finally, a whole wide assortment of colours. Interesting. Unnecessary, but interesting nonetheless.

With one eyebrow raised, he was about to get ready when there was a knock on the door. "Mr Dante, are you awake? May I come in?"

It was one of Vergil's many butlers. "...Yeah, I'm uh...I'm awake. You can come in." Dante found himself uttering out.

The door squeaked open and an old man entered in powerful strides, stopping at the middle of the room with his hands behind his back, nose held up high, eyes closed. "Your presence is required at the dining room; breakfast will be served in approximately twenty minutes."

Dante threw the snooty-looking man a glance from head to toe. Was this butler for real? "I uh...I don't need to have breakfast. I'm fine with like, a roll or somethin'."

"Master Vergil insists you join him."

He grunted.

"I have also brought you a change of clothes."

"Change of – what?" Dante left the bathroom to see the old man protrude out a bundle of folded clothes from one hand. "Where's _my_ clothes?"

"Master Vergil has them washed – "

He let out a light scoff, then grabbed the bundle from the butler's hands, unraveling it to reveal a loose white t-shirt, a black hoodie and matching black training pants.

"I shall leave you to it, Mr Dante. If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to ask." The butler said, before he politely excused himself and left the room.

Dante was left on his own; he dressed quickly in the clothes provided although he left the hoodie for the time being, leaving himself in the pants and t-shirt. He returned to the bathroom to use the amenities provided to freshen up. He was still a bit unshaven but he'd remind himself tomorrow to shave properly. Grabbing his shoes from the floor, he donned them and hastily left his room. A large stretch of corridor greeted him and he glanced around. Just like his elaborate, luxurious apartment-like bedroom, the corridor itself was also a vision of grandeur with its red carpet and the many paintings, trophies and suits of armor lining the walls. It was like he literally stepped into Buckingham Palace or something. A few servants passed him and greeted him politely; they all knew his name but he didn't know theirs. He really wasn't used to it. They directed him to the dining room without him even asking and when he arrived, again, he wasn't too surprised to see that it was a large room with fancy pictures, thick velvet carpets and glass chandeliers.

"Dante, you're finally here." Vergil said as Dante entered; Vergil was at the foot of the table and he froze momentarily when his gaze landed on the girl who was seated by his side.

_Trixie. _

It took almost every fiber of his well-being not to yell her name out and throw himself at her. But no, he was not sure of the situation yet. He didn't fully understand or comprehend. As much as he was an impulsive individual this situation demanded the utmost patience. He needed to wait. He needed to find out first, to find out all the details... despite the questions that were practically buzzing in his head at the precise moment. What was she doing here? Was she really Trixie? Why did she go missing? Most importantly...

How the hell did she end up with his brother?

As he stood stiffly on the spot, he spotted a familiar girl in a hooded top - she was sitting opposite Trixie and quietly eating her breakfast. They appeared to be having breakfast and Dante was late. "Come, Dante, join us." Vergil said, "You can sit anywhere you like. Help yourself; have as much as you want."

Dante glanced at the table before him; it was filled to the brim with plates of food ranging from eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, tomatoes, oatmeal. There were even boxes of various cereals, pitchers of milk, orange juice, cranberry juice, flasks of coffee, tea and warm milk. Everything. This luscious buffet seemed a little too much for four people, he thought. "Huh, and Kat's here too." He muttered, as the girl in the hooded top glanced at him.

"Good morning, Dante." Kat said; in front of her was a plate with two small pieces of toast along with a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice.

"Is that all you're havin'?" He remarked as he sauntered over to her side.

"I don't eat much in the mornings." She replied.

"Do you even eat at all?" He said, and she gave him a tired look whilst Vergil chuckled. Meanwhile, the other girl, the quiet girl, said nothing to his presence and Dante glanced at her.

She sat properly in her seat, wielding the knife and fork with alarming, somewhat unnecessary grace and precision as she sliced neatly into her egg. She was having a hot breakfast with a cup of coffee beside her plate. It seemed she was having the same breakfast as Vergil was. Eyeing her from head toe, he could see that she was wearing a black pinafore dress with a white collar and sleeves. Again, her hair was brushed to one shoulder exposing a diamond earring and matching necklace around her neck.

"Dante," Vergil started, rising from his seat to greet him, "You didn't get a chance to meet yesterday, but this is Beatrice. I told you about her, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember."

When Vergil gestured to her, she slid her gaze to Dante and he stared at her. Their eyes met and she merely blinked at him blankly, then abruptly glanced away, cutting off eye contact. "...Nice to meet you." She uttered.

"...Yeah, same to you."

"Dante, do you want to sit down?" Kat asked, as he continued staring at Beatrice. Without averting his gaze or looking away for all that mattered, he plopped himself down in the spare seat beside Kat and crossed his arms.

"Dante, you're welcome to eat. Go on." Vergil said, gesturing to the impressive feast before them.

He glanced around the table. "Got any beer?"

And Vergil laughed. "I think you've had enough beer for one day."

He grumbled slightly under his breath before reaching out for an empty plate and started stacking some breakfast goodies for himself. The whole entire time, he would stare at the girl opposite him. She chewed her slice of egg on toast for a minute or so before she glanced at him without moving her head. Noticing that he was still staring at her, she immediately threw her gaze to her plate and continued to busy herself in finishing off her breakfast. Vergil began talking. It was something about The Order, something about demons, something about angels. He wasn't really listening; he knew he should've been, but his mind was occupied elsewhere. There was something Dante didn't quite understand and would need to talk to Kat about - Beatrice, for instance. He needed to find out if it really was her, but how many girls in Limbo City could there be called '_Beatrice_' and _look exactly like her_ for Christ's sake?!

But it had been three years.

Perhaps it had been too long of an absence because he thought the first thing he'd do was jump at her and declare how much he loved her and how much he missed her. He wanted to demand where she'd been and what had happened...but no, he found himself unable to do those things...he was weary and lethargic about it all...it was all because of the 'problems'. She didn't seem to recognize him. She was to be engaged to Vergil. How soon that would be, he didn't know. In fact, he had no idea how long she knew Vergil for. And this 'Beatrice' was a hybrid. She was half-human, half-angel. The Trixie he knew was simply just...human. But she was his human, and she was perfect in his eyes. She was perfect in every way, the way she was. She didn't have to be half-this or half-that. She was human, a weak and clumsy little human with flaws and a cheery personality who always managed to see the best in him and made him feel that his existence wasn't meaningless or to be abused and be chased by demons forever.

He wasn't sure if this girl before him truly was her after all... he found that her outward demeanor wasn't very inviting. And then he would recall that for the past three years he'd slept with other women. A lot of other women.

He'd been unfaithful.  
He'd cheated.

A barrel of conflicting emotions bit at him from all different directions.

Oh god, he thought, why did he join them for breakfast? He was perfectly fine on his own...he was always on his own...

"Dante, are you okay?" Kat asked.

"I'm fine." He said, "You go back to eating...whatever it is you're eating."

And once breakfast was over, Vergil placed his knife and fork down neatly over his plate, wiped his mouth with the napkin and sat up in his seat, "Kat, are you ready?" He said, as maids immediately went over to retrieve his plate.

In response, Kat nodded and rose gingerly from her seat too. "Yes, let's go."

Turning to Beatrice, Vergil put his hand on her shoulder. Dante watched this spectacle, crunching on his toast loudly. "Will you be alright when I'm gone?"

She nodded briefly, "I'll be okay."

And Dante said, "Where you off to, Verge?"

"Ah, my apologies, Dante. I'm afraid defeating Mundus will have to wait; I've asked Kat if she can accompany me today. We're going to investigate a little more into his operations, namely the Raptor News Headquarters."

"Anythin' I can do?"

Vergil chuckled. "I'd like you to get used to this place and get yourself settled in; treat this as your second home from now on, Dante." He said, "Beatrice will be more than happy to give you a tour."

Upon her mention, she looked up at Vergil with a little wince but otherwise said nothing.

"Very good, I'll be back in the evening."

"Goodbye, Kat." Beatrice said, as the gothic-looking girl passed her.

"See you, Beatrice. We won't be long." Kat replied; turning to Dante she said, "Bye Dante."

"See ya."

With Kat by Vergil's side, they left the dining area, and Dante and Beatrice sat in silence as the maids and butlers began to tidy up, taking away empty dishes and clearing the cutlery and the rest of the untouched food and beverage. As a maid took her plate away, she flicked her eyes to him and he did the same. "Are you finished?" She said quietly.

"Yeah." He replied.

"...So, you're Vergil's twin brother."

He found it incredibly hard to reply but he forced himself to grumble out, "Yeah." He couldn't even look at her in the eye.

"Vergil told me about what happened to your parents. I'm sorry." She said, "You've been fighting demons all your life, right?"

"...Yeah."

"Well, do you uh... want to sit here for a bit longer, or do you want the tour now?"

He glanced to the side and back, shifted slightly in his seat, but still did not meet her gaze. "No, I'm good, Trix." Damn. He'd said that out of reflex.

She raised a slim eyebrow in response. "My name is _Beatrice_. You'll call me that, because everyone else does."

What the - ? What kind of bitchy tone was that? Vergil, he thought. It was him. It had to be. He was responsible. What on earth had he done to her? He'd done something to her personality. Finally glancing up to meet her gaze, he said, "...No, I think I'll call you _Trix_, because no-one else does."

Without another word, Beatrice got up from her seat. "The tour starts now. Follow me." She simply said, before she grabbed her blazer and put it on, then she began to leave the room; immediately, Dante got up from his seat and made a beeline for her as she entered the grand hall. He could see she was wearing black tights under the pinafore and matching patent heels; they made a very enticing clicking noise as she stepped over the marbled surface. She strode gracefully, whilst he remember that Trixie would bustle around without a care in the world. This girl before him practically strutted like a catwalk model, flicking her hair over one shoulder in process. The Trixie he knew also never wore heels unless it was work at the club. She said there had never been a special occasion for her to wear heels.

"This is the Great Hall." said Beatrice, gesturing around them as he stopped by her side; he watched her keenly as she spoke. "This is where the maids and butlers greet visitors and guests. Vergil doesn't deal with them directly unless they have an appointment...The servants will then alert Vergil of their arrival via this phone – " She pointed to a large, old-fashioned, vintage gold phone with the massive handle and rotary dial that sat over a glass table in one corner. " - which links to the phone in the trophy room, Vergil's room, his office and study." She added, "I'll show you the lounge next."

He followed her from the hall and into the aforementioned lounge – essentially another massive large room with equally massive, luxurious sofas and large TV and fireplace. Despite the size, the room was rather warm and cozy, and Beatrice stood at the side and let Dante wander around for a while, glancing around the room and to take it all in.

"This is usually where the visitors and guests wait until Vergil goes to get them." She explained, as Dante went to the mantelpiece, staring at all the trophies and photos. He saw many pictures of his twin brother when he was young; it seemed Vergil hadn't always had white hair. There he was, with jet-black hair like Dante himself, except Vergil's hair was longer and flopped over his eyes and over one side of his face. "When Vergil was younger, his hair was pure white," Beatrice said, "In order to blend in; his parents had him dye his hair until he was sixteen. That was when Vergil discovered his true heritage."

It made sense. Dante went through the photoframes one by one - there were many pictures of Vergil – they seemed to go in order of age – there was a black and white portrait of him when he was a child, smiling widely at the camera. There was a photo where he was holding a large fish in arms, dressed in fishing gear. He looked around five years old. Another photo showed him alongside other children holding various musical instruments. He was holding a violin. Band camp, perhaps? Another picture showed him shaking hands with an old man whilst carrying a massive trophy in one. Behind them was a banner that said 'World Chess Championship'. Another showed Vergil as the winner of the 'World Fencing Championship'. And another photo showed a teenage Vergil being crowned Prom King.

"...You've gotta be kidding me." Dante uttered, once he saw that photograph. It seemed like Vergil was a winner in almost...well, everything.

After moving from the collection of childhood and teenage year photos, he only saw a handful of recent photos of Vergil. There were a few where he was dressed in graduation robes and holding a scroll in hand. Ah right, Vergil had graduated several times in higher education of different degrees. Then there was a photograph of himself and...Beatrice.

Dante picked it up and examined it. Vergil was adorned in a smart suit and Beatrice was in a beautiful black dress; both were smiling at each other as though unaware someone had taken their photo. They were sitting at a restaurant at some sort, with candlesticks and flowers and tall champagne glasses on their table. He looked at the Vergil in the photo carefully then glanced at Beatrice. Unconsciously, he brushed his thumb over her face. He didn't have pictures at home; there was nothing to take a photo of or anyone to take a photo for him or any important event to commemorate. He had the four-strip photo, yes, the cheap one that cost roughly seven dollars and had featured him and Trixie which was now forever lost to sea.

"That was taken at a Gala ball a few years ago; they were hosting the 'Limbo City's Most Outstanding Citizen' award that evening. Vergil was invited and I was allowed to come with him." Beatrice commented.

He put the photo back. "...Looks fun."

She smiled to herself. "It was."

"Nice dress."

"Thanks. It's Yves Saint Laurent."

He had no clue what she was saying but decided that it was an expensive designer label or something.

They left the lounge and returned to the hall. Dante trailed after her, growing more and more disillusioned and disconnected as she spoke about Vergil and the house. Finally, they entered the kitchen and Dante was not surprised to see it was another massive space filled with islands and appliances. A few chefs were loitering, cleaning and washing dishes. It was very noisy and hot and he didn't think he'd want to stay here for any longer and as they walked in further, Dante reached up and brushed his hand through the pot handles that were hanging from the ceiling on a rack, making all the pots and pans clatter loudly against each other.

"Don't touch anything; this equipment is very expensive," She hissed, "This is the kitchen – "

"Yeah, I can see that."

" – and if you ever want something to eat, then you can ask the chefs to cook it for you. They're five-star Michelin chefs." She finished.

"So if I want or crave anything, they'll cook it?"

"Yes. It could be Ligurian ravioli or Borders Roe Deer, Rainbow Chard, organic whitmuir pork – "

"Do they do pizza?"

"...No. They don't do pizza."

"Then why are they five-star if they can't even do pizza? They don't sound that great to me."

Almost immediately, all the chefs in the vicinity stopped working and turned to Dante and Beatrice. The kitchen fell silent immediately and all eyes landed on the duo; she hastily grabbed him by the arm and ushered him out of the kitchen. Once they were outside, she shook her head in disbelief. "Amazing. Five seconds. You were only in the kitchen for five seconds and you managed to insult every single person in there."

In response, he merely laughed. "I'm that good, huh?"

"It's not funny." She snapped, before she turned away with a despondent sigh, "...Vergil wasn't kidding about you."

He ceased laughing for a moment, "About what?"

"That you're a mouthy, opinionated person."

"...He really said that about me." Dante muttered, crossing his arms.

"Well, no, not along those lines, but – " When she glanced up at him, she almost bumped noses with him and she realized he'd been standing very close to her and he was staring at her. Clearing her throat, she stepped away from him and gestured towards the hall. "I-I'll show you the pool and courtyard."

"Where's your room?" He said.

Beatrice stopped and turned to him. "Excuse me?"

"I said, where's your room?" Dante said; he jogged up to her and stopped by her side, "What? You scared to tell me?"

"No. Stop making things up. I'm not showing you my room. I can show you Vergil's room though." She said quickly, and she marched away from him and up the stairs. He followed her closely.

"Are you happy here?" He said, taking two steps at a time.

"What?"

"I said, are you happy here?"

She gave him a dumbfounded look, stopping in mid-step. "...What kind of question is that?"

"It's just a simple one."

"Of course I'm happy. I go to lessons, I – "

"What kind of lessons?"

"Violin, piano, horse-riding...some literature, politics, art lessons. I take a lot of lessons."

"You got any today?"

"...I have some in the afternoon. Why?"

"Can I tag along?"

"What? _No_."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Because what?"

"They're private lessons."

"I don't see the harm."

"You'll be bored."

"And you won't be?"

That caught her off guard. Beatrice turned away from him with a huff. "...They're not boring. Vergil puts me up for them because they're to help me improve and to learn more things, so I work hard and do my best."

"And what for?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Vergil said you're half-angel, half-human. Shouldn't you be working on that?"

Beatrice stilled. "...If you mean my powers, _no_."

"Why not?"

"...I can't."

"And who says that? Vergil?"

"No, I'm not good, okay? I can't control my powers like you or Vergil."

"Vergil, huh? Did he teach you anything?" He said, and when she simmered into another silence, he glanced to the side, rubbed at the back of his head, then added, "...Listen, how did you meet him? He never told me." G_uess I'll just try._ _No harm in asking, right?_

She gave him a funny look in response, "...I met Vergil through private school and when we graduated, I moved in with him here and I've been with him since."

He chuckled. "Private school?"

"Yes. What's so funny?"

"If you went to private school why are you taking these lessons? Thought private school would...y'know, have all that. You're...what? Twenty three years old, right? Same age as me and Verge? How come you're not at university or holdin' down a job?"

"Then how come you're not at university or holding down a job? Last time we checked you were unemployed, uneducated and living in a trailer."

Dante chuckled again in response, "You only get to live once. Why not make the most of it?"

There was a silence; she apparently had nothing to say to that. She turned away from him and began to stalk down the corridor. "...This tour is over. I'm going to prepare for my lessons; you're welcome to do whatever you like, as long as you don't break anything."

"Trix, wait." Dante followed her and grabbed her by the wrist, halting her in her path. _Gentle_, he thought. _Be gentle._

She whipped round to him, eyes narrowing, "Let go of me."

"Trix – "

"I said let go of me!"

"I have another question."

"I've had enough of your questions. Now let go."

"Three years ago. Did something happen?" He said. Immediately, she went silent, her mouth opening slightly...although no words came out. _I knew it. Fuck it, here goes nothing._ "Trix, it's me." He said sternly, "Don't you remember?" Moving closer to her, he reached for her but she slapped his hand away immediately.

"Don't touch me_."_ She snarled. Her coldness surprised him for a split second; Trixie had never taken that tone with him before. She was always so gentle and warm with him, he didn't think she would be capable of possessing such a tone. "Listen, I don't know who you think I am or if you're getting me mixed up with somebody else, but just because you're Vergil's brother does not mean you can do these kinds of things and get away with it. You have a mission, and that is to work with Vergil to bring down Mundus for what he did to your parents. Now let go of me."

Without another word, she jerked her wrist free from his grip and stalked down the corridor; he watched her retreating back silently, defeated.

...


End file.
